REVIEW: RIVETING, DON'T-MISS PRODUCTION OF AMERICAN CLASSIC "THE CRUCIBLE" HAS MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THE PRESENT

By Ruth Ross

Do these sound familiar: a belief in conspiracy theories; mandated loyalty oaths; casting aspersion on respected leaders; encouraging people to “rat out” their neighbors; using the law to cow people into obedience; blatant misogyny; and patriarchy run amok?

While these tactics sound as though they are ripped from contemporary headlines, they were in flower during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and were later used by Arthur Miller in his 1953 drama, The Crucible, wherein he used the Trials to reflect the anti-Communist hysteria inspired by Senator Joseph McCarthy's House Un-American Affairs Committee’s "witch-hunts" in the United States.

Now, Miller’s play, a classic and still-relevant piece of theater, is receiving a riveting production at the Summit Playhouse, where it plays through March 8! That the play’s premise still resonates is a testament to his dramatic vision and a reminder that Plus ça change, plus que le même chose—The more things change, the more they stay the same”—or to put it another way, “There’s nothing new under the sun.”

Based on historical people and real events, Miller's drama is a searing portrait of a community engulfed by hysteria. In the rigid theocracy of Salem, rumors that women are practicing witchcraft galvanize the town's most basic fears and suspicions, and when a young girl accuses Elizabeth Proctor of being a witch, self-righteous church leaders and townspeople insist that Elizabeth be brought to trial. The ruthlessness of the prosecutors and the eagerness of neighbors to testify against neighbors brilliantly illuminates the destructive power of socially sanctioned violence.

Director Kevern Cameron and Assistant Director Elissa Strell have assembled a cast of 21 actors—11 of them males; it’s said that 90 actors auditioned for parts!—to tell this tale of conspiracy and fear. Cameron keeps the tension ratcheted up as the plot marches inexorably to its thrilling denouement.

Standouts include Jim Quickstad as the paranoid, insecure, unPuritanical minister Samuel Parris (he forces the congregants to fund golden candlesticks for the meeting house!), seeing evil around every corner, fighting to be accepted by the community despite his incessant hellfire and brimstone sermons that turn many away from weekly church meetings. He’s annoying and dangerous.

Joe Lozito depicts Thomas Putnam as a grasping, wealthy landowner, not above annexing others’ lands and fingering them as squatters. He’s sanctimonious to fault. As Rev. John Hale, the outsider minister brought in to investigate the hullaballoo, Zachary Conner is superb; we watch him to from fervent believer to critic of the methods used to extract confessions from the accused, who are mostly women. Paul Milford portrays Giles Corey (above, right), who unwittingly “outs” his wife because she reads books, as a stolid, stoic individual, worthy of our respect and sympathy. And Christopher C. Gibbs’ depiction of Deputy Governor Thomas Danforth (left), who conducts most of the proceedings, is masterful. He may be trying to find the underlying cause of the situation, but his overbearing righteousness clouds his judgment and leads him away from justice.

On the distaff side, Karen Thornton is a menace as Ann Putnam, who lost seven babies soon after their birth, blaming Rebecca Nurse (a dignified and resolute Shann Garry), the midwife who delivered them, for their demise and accusing her of witchcraft. As Mary Warren, the young girl who holds the key to solving the “problem,” Angeline Wedermeier (left, with Munroe) is first rate, as is Monica Ross as Elizabeth Proctor, the good wife whose insecurity about her looks and lovability drove a wedge between her and her husband (she was probably suffering from post-partum depression after the birth of her last child) but who gallantly stands up for him at the hour of reckoning. and Kylah Wilson as the Barbadian slave Tituba is heartbreaking.

I have left the best for the last. Katherine Hope Stelma (right, with Dale Monroe, Jr.) is absolutely chilling as Abigail Williams, the young girl whose sexual liaison with her master sets the whole plot in motion. At first, she denies that anything untoward has happened in the forest, but we see a sea change when she realizes the power she has and doesn’t hesitate to wield it. Her screams shook the rafters of the little playhouse. As her master, John Proctor, Dale Monroe, Jr., with his dark, brooding eyes and tightly wound demeanor is the very embodiment of a soul tortured for giving in to sexual temptation with a younger servant, which is in stark contrast to the dignity he assumes when pressed to confess to something he did not do and thus sullying his name for the ages. His outrage and perseverance in the final scene at not naming names of others, let alone his, is magnificent.

Production values are also excellent. Roy Pancirov’s set conveys the mystery of the forest with twinkling lights and the plainness of the homes and meeting house. The sound, designed by Wendy Roome and Kevern Cameron, is eerie and other-worldly. Hailey Haywood’s costumes are appropriately Puritanical, except for the fine coat of Thomas Putnam used to denote his wealth and position in a sea of gray and white.

The Crucible has long been a staple of American Literature high school English courses and should continue to be taught, unless the literature police decide that the Salem Witch Trials are a part of our history that is off limits in the classroom. As a drama, it is tautly constructed and provides meaty parts for actors, all based on real people. The play also has a universal lesson for our young people about the importance of truth, the support of those unfairly prosecuted (and convicted), and mass hysteria’s danger of obliterating the truth.

It’s worth noting that most people accused and convicted of witchcraft were women (about 78%), and more than 200 people were accused: 30 were found guilty, 19 of whom were executed by hanging (fourteen women and five men). Giles Corey died under torture after refusing to enter a plea, and at least five people died in the disease-ridden jails. The Salem witch trials ended only when serious doubts began to arise among leading clergymen about the validity of the spectral evidence that had been used to justify so many of the convictions and, due to the sheer number of those accused, "including several prominent citizens of the colony."

Unfortunately, what Arthur Miller was targeting in 1953 continues today. The Crucible truly is a play for the ages. If you have high school students in your family, bring them to see the play. You won’t want to miss this production; you have only next weekend to catch it in Summit.

The Crucible will be performed at the Summit Playhouse, 10 New England Ave., Summit, on Friday and Saturday, March 7 and 8, at 8 PM. For tickets, call the box office at 908.273.2192 or visit www.TheSummitPlayhouse.org online. Last weekend was sold out. Don’t wait to reserve tickets.

On a side note, the great American author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, who wrote The Scarlet Letter (also about the Massachusetts Bay Colony), was a descendent of the presiding Judge John Hathorne. He added the “w” to his surname to avoid being associated with the Judge.