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| The Cast of "The Crucible" (photo: Nile Scott Studios) |
"Goody Goody": so goeth the tag line (referencing "goodwives") for the current Nora Theatre/Bedlam production of the 1953 Tony Award winning The Crucible by Arthur Miller (extended through October 20th). It's more than a clever play on words with Eric Tucker (whose previous directing roles at Central Square Theatre include Pygmalion and Saint Joan) once again at the helm. There is little goodness in this arresting depiction of mass hysteria in 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, but plenty of evil. As was obvious in the era of the McCarthy hearings at the time of the play's first production, audiences may be forgiven for sensing a corollary in our country today, as pointed a portrayal as ever in the current swamp of "witch hunts". It was Miller's genius to see beneath the political surface to the miasma of corruption that was all too pervasive then, and continues to this day. It is the exquisitely pitch-perfect presentation on view that transcends and transports.
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| The Cast of "The Crucible" (photo: Nile Scott Studios) |
In
Tucker's vision, there is little black and white, but lots of gray in
this depiction of flawed women and men at the mercy of their own
beliefs and superstitions. Most audience members will assume
familiarity with Miller's work in its historical context, but this is
a far more complex treatment of the issues at hand. When Reverend
Hale (played by Tucker himself), invited by Reverend Samuel Parris
(Randolph Curtis Rand) arrives on the scene, the populace is already
whipped into a frenzy about the accusation of naked dancing and
witchcraft. John Proctor (Ryan Quinn) and his wife Elizabeth Proctor
(Susannah Millonzi, who also plays accuser Betty Parris) become the
primary victims of the bearing of false witness by Abigail Williams
(Truett Felt), Mary Warren (Caroline Grogan), Mercy Lewis (Karina
Wen) and Susanna Walcott (Eliza Rose Fichter) as they testify before
Ezekial Cheever (Michael Dwan Singh), Giles Corey (Stewart Evan
Smith) and Thomas Putnam (David Keohane), in the kangaroo courtroom
of Deputy Governor Danforth (Joshua Wolf Coleman). Also on hand for
some much-needed comic relief is the Barbadian slave Tituba (Dayenne
CB Walters, who also plays Rebecca Nurse as well as Francis Nurse).
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| The Cast of "The Crucible" (photo: Nile Scott Studios) |
True to form, every single actor in the baker's dozen of performers (enacting twenty-one roles) lives up to one's preconceptions about the artistry that is Bedlam. As the initial cacophonous scene transpires, one begins to appreciate the complexity of the playwright's insights and this company's strengths. The mastery of Coleman in the pivotal role of Danforth is matched by the desperation of Mellonzi and Quinn ("leave me my name") as the besieged Proctors, and the quartet of underage accusers are terrifying in their warped and wicked wiles. It's hard to imagine any ensemble creating as horrifyingly believable a zealous community as this troupe does, as "doubts multiply" and they "touch the bottom of the swamp", a paralyzing and polarizing prophecy if there ever was one. The creative elements include the simple but suggestive Costume Design by Elizabeth Rocha, the stark Lighting Design by John Malinowski, minimalist Scenic Design by Lindsay Genevieve Fuori and eerily suggestive Sound Design by Ted Kearnan. But it is in Tucker's direction and the consummate acting chops on display that in the end make this production take flight. In its uncompromising depiction of the sometimes fatal flaws of woman and man, one may easily identify with John Proctor's statement that his wife's "justice would freeze beer". It's a demanding piece for players and public, at a fast-paced three hours of unparalleled theater.
As Hale expounds at one point, "these are strange times"; "in a culture in which power resides in the hands of men- who(m) do you believe?" becomes as much a query as to where we are as it is to whence we have come.
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