THE CRUCIBLE till March 18
THE CRUCIBLE: Arthur Miller
RSC: Main House Stratford Upon Avon
www.rsc.org.uk
Runs: 3h, one interval, till 18 March
Review: Rod Dungate, 2 March 2006
Tight, passionate, a very good production indeed
Without doubt one of the major plays of the 20th Century, The Crucible is alive and well. This is a very, very fine revival. A totally strong cast, hard and stark sets in which plainness becomes a cultural and emotional starvation by Hildegard Bechtler, and beautiful, uncompromising lighting by Jean Kalman.
Most of us know, and the programme points out to us, the relationship between this play and the hysterical behaviour of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. It seems to me this, while interesting, is increasingly irrelevant to our interpretation of the play – even more so to the young people who formed a major part of the audience. The world has moved on, we live in different times – so what does the play mean to us now?
It’s true that politics, twisted political logic, is a clear thread in the play. Especially in the last act, in which the Court finds it imperative to obtain confessions from people it’s about to hang in order to legitimise the actions of the Court in hanging people because the Court’s already been hanging them – and presumably can’t unhang them. (The words ‘Looking Glass world’ come to mind; an expression I heard this morning on Radio 4 in an interview with an American lawyer defending Guantanamo). But more than politics the play now speaks of religious fundamentalism, the power of ignorant and inhuman adherence to dogma and faith, and how these murder humanity and reason.
Dominic Cooke clearly understands the key to the play. It opens after a short episode of dancing, with a loud percussive clap of door and window opening. The opening lines are fast, passionate, debate already at fever pitch. And so the act continues building to the hysterical accusations from the young women. This powerful tension almost never leaves the play until the final act; the tension is painfully real and sustained with clarity and precision by the actors.
Iain Glen’s John Proctor is towering. His love and pain both simple, strong, direct. Glen’s naturalness with the language remarkable. He is a big, strong figure; against him the women appear slight, delicate despite the hardness of their lives. It’s easy to see the attraction he has for Abigail (Elaine Cassidy) whose youthfulness is clearly contrasted with Proctor’s maturity. The relationship between him and his wife (Helen Schlesinger) is electric, her inner turmoil clearly communicated. Their ability to sustain the tricky Act IV scene is a well-earned climax – ‘God is dead’ declares John Procter.
James Laurenson ensures the pressure never relinquishes its grip as Deputy-Governor Danforth, his clipped, brisk manner epitomises authority; he exudes dangerous certainty about everything and is concerned, it would appear, about his status above everything.
Reverend Parris: Ian Gelder
Betty Parris: Zoe Thorne
Tituba: Lorna Gayle
Abigail Williams: Elaine Cassidy
Susanna Wallcot: Laura Elphinstone
Ann Putnam: Caroline O’Neill
Thomas Putnam: James Staddon
Mercy Lewis: Alison Garland
Mary Warren: Michelle Terry
John Proctor: Iain Glen
Rebecca Nurse: Darlene Johnson
Giles Corey: Trevor Peacock
Reverend John Hale: Robert Bowman
Elizabeth Proctor: Helen Schlesinger
Francis Nurse: Clifford Rose
Ezekiel Cheever: Ken Bradshaw
Marshal Herrick: Tim Chipping
Judge Hathorne: John Stahl
Deputy-Governor Danforth: James Laurenson
Sarah Good: Susan McGoun
Hopkins: James Pearse
Ensemble: Catherine Skinner
Directed by: Dominic Cooke
Designed by: Hildegard Bechtler
Lighting Designed by: Jean Kalman
Music Composed by: Gary Yershon
Sound Designed by: Paul Arditti
Movement by: Liz Ranken
Fights Directed by: Terry King
Assistant Director: Maria Aberg
Dialect Work by: Penny Dyer
Company Voice Work by: Jan Haydn Rowles
2006-03-03 11:48:23