Friday 16 June 2017

"The Crucible", Theatre Royal Glasgow, 13/6/17

Written for Backstage Pass:

http://www.backstagepass.biz/2017/06/theatre-review-crucible-theatre-royal.html



Over the last few years Selladoor Productions has gone from strength to strength with their dynamic and varied productions. Their latest production is a new tour of Arthur Miller's classic allegory The Crucible, produced in association with the Queen's Theatre, Hornchuch and Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg and directed by Douglas Rintoul.
Arguably Miller's most famous play, The Crucible dramatises the infamous Salem witch trials of the 17th century focusing around the Proctor family and how their village is turned upside down as paranoia and suspicion rip through the town following a children's game that leads to allegations of witchcraft. Miller famously wrote the play as a response to the 1950's United States government's persecution of supposed Communists by the House of Respresentatives' Committee on Un-American Activities. The play also rings relevant given the current political climate that pervades several countries, including our own.

This production is somewhat Brechtian in its direction and design with stage directions projected on its bare, stripped back set and anachronistic costumes (which hint at both 1690's and the 1950's fashions) though there are also abstract and near-expressionist elements throughout, especially in the unusual lighting. The sound design is also intriguing and moody, though it is excessive at times.
Director Rintoul guides the cast ably, though there are slack moments and the pace of the production could be tightened, along with the lengthy scene changes, which would resolve some uneven moments and also serve to cut the running time.

The cast are led by a strong, stable Eoin Slattery as John Proctor, supported by former "Coronation Street" actor Charlie Condou as a sterling Reverend Hale whose principled stillness is palpable. There are other fine performances from David Delve as Giles Corey and Lucy Keirl, as Abigail Williams, amongst others. Victoria Yeates ("Call the Midwife") plays Elizabeth Proctor, one of those falsely accused of witchcraft and, whilst she is often strong, she is amongst a few in the company whose vocal projection needs a bit more work.

A slightly uneven, though visually interesting staging, this production of The Crucible has some strong elements throughout and serves as a stark reminder of how mania can easily sweep throughout a population and how history is apt to repeat itself.

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