When young women are discovered trying to conjure spirits, the God-fearing people of Salem, Massachusetts are told the devil is in their midst and must be rooted out at all costs. Accusations fly, scores are settled, and fear and suspicion reign. With terrifying power and momentum their faith becomes a murderous instrument of lust, paranoia and revenge.
Written during Joe McCarthy’s anticommunist trials in America, this classic tale of the witch hunts in colonial New England still stands as a powerful parable against the politics of fear.
Told with passion and intelligence.
With a skeletal set and cast positioned in tableaux, director John Dove focuses on Arthur Miller’s compelling text.
Although admirably clear-sighted and human, there is a distinct and disappointing lack of the spark that has characterised recent Lyceum productions, meaning this is easy to admire but difficult to love.
With twenty-one people onstage, it's facinating during some fine set-pieces watching the faces of those not speaking for clues. In this sense, and as ever with Miller, the devil is in the detail.
Together, it is a production whose virtues are mixed (a bit like the accents, which might, uncharitably, be said to sound like they come from all American states, and none), but which broadly presents a powerful portrait of a society in turmoil, with which audiences will readily identify.
Magnificent and absorbing.
It is testament not just to the play’s universal message but to the high quality of this ensemble production from the Lyceum that the 2 hours 40 minutes of its duration can hold unwaveringly throughout. Another proud notch in the Lyceum’s 50 year old belt!
A must-see show.
Dove delivers such a painstaking build of tension in the climactic scenes that he brings a real sense of jeopardy to a familiar outcome.
A stunning work of both thematic depth and accessibility, The Crucible is breathless, relentless and completely exhilarating. As the lights come up and the actors leave the stage, one feels like emerging from the eye of a storm.
Handsome and honest though it is, however, this Crucible is less sure-footed than the director’s previous Miller productions.
Unfortunately, despite being handsomely staged, this muddled production suffers from a collection of poor performances and often lazy direction.
There’s little doubt that The Crucible is a play that still has a lot to tell us about ourselves, and how we must constantly guard against fear, anger and the abuse of power by those who find themselves in authority. It’s a shame, however, that the motor of this particular production is, for the most part, barely ticking over.
It’s difficult to go very wrong with The Crucible, and Dove’s production expertly handles the emotional complexity of Miller’s script. However, the resolutely conventional staging prevents this solid production being as powerfully prescient as it could be.
John Dove--The Crucible
Preview: The Crucible
Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh from Thursday February 18, 2016, until Saturday March 19, 2016. More info: www.lyceum.org.uk
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