American playwright Arthur Miller’s finest play is a rich and powerful historical allegory of the McCarthy era and of modern America.
By Maritza Cosano
“Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates life,” said Oscar Wilde in his 1889 essay The Decay of Lying. And though the famous Irish dramatist had a point, Arthur Miller's finest play, The Crucible, far more mirrored life, as he took the 1692 Salem witch trials and partially fictionalized them into a rich and powerful historical allegory of the McCarthy period.
In 1953, when the play premiered, Arthur Miller said, “What I was doing was writing a fictional story about an important theme,” and sadly, that theme—the underlying plea for a sane and moral sense of social and political responsibility—remains relatable today as we see communities across America being fractured and the citizens begin to turn on one another, demonizing the other.
The Crucible opened last Friday at Palm Beach Dramaworks in Downtown West Palm Beach with a standing ovation. The enduring strength of this endlessly revived American masterpiece is its ability, through a pointed interpretation of the depicted witch hunt, to shock and alarm its audience again and again, like a scary movie.
Palm Beach Dramaworks’ Producing Artistic Director William Hayes directed The Crucible, a massive, deep play with a poignant theatricality that leaves us bewildered, seemingly affected by the drama onstage and by the uncanny parallels to modern America’s political paranoia, character assassinations, and reckless accusations against some of its citizens, who day in and day out face intense public scrutiny.
Exceptional, solid, and inspiring are the watchwords for this production, applicable across the board. This dark comedy shines a spotlight on Rob Donohoe’s Giles Corey, whose stellar performance engages the audience with every line.
Tom Wahl’s Reverend Paris drives the drama to a higher pitch throughout the play. Nick Jordan’s Reverend John Hale offers a respectful portrayal of a proud, academic witch-hunter to a broken, guilt-ridden, and empathetic man.
Tom Patterson’s John Proctor provides the fireworks the role demands. And the same thing can be said of Elisabeth Yancey’s Abigail Williams, whose brilliant performance in this revival should not be missed.
This production of The Crucible is not like the play you read back in high school English class. This is a compelling and energetic drama that elevates lines such as this: "Life is God's most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it."
The Crucible is running through April 19 at Palm Beach Dramaworks.
PBD's production features (in alphabetical order) Cat Boynton, Barbara B. Bradshaw, Gary Cadwallader, John Campagnuolo, Kaia Davis (PBD debut), Rob Donohoe, Peter W. Galman, Hannah Hayley, David A. Hyland, Nick Jordan (PBD debut), Julie Kleiner (PBD debut), Margery Lowe, Natalie Donahue McMahon (PBD debut), Tom Patterson (PBD debut), Andy Prosky, Karen Stephens, John Leonard Thompson, Seth Trucks (PBD debut), Tom Wahl, and Elisabeth Yancey.
Evening performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm. Matinee performances are on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 pm. Post-performance discussions follow Wednesday and Thursday matinees. For tickets, visit palmbeachdramaworks.org.