By William Wolf

THE CRUCIBLE (2016)  Send This Review to a Friend

Arthur Miller’s 1953 “The Crucible” is inherently such a powerful play that its strength comes through even when director Ivo van Hove gets his hands on it. Such is the situation with the current revival, which van Hove stamps with his own flashy staging, some of which absurdly runs counter to what the play is about.

As is well known, Miller wrote the play at the time of the Red Scare witch hunts when people were hauled up before committees, pressured to confess to being Communists and/or sympathizers and to name others as a price for their survival. Miller based the play on the 1692 trials and execution of people accused of being witches in the Massachusetts Bay colony, Salem. In Miller’s play, hysterical young girls influenced by one seeking revenge and getting the man she coveted make up wild accusations about being possessed by the devil, and soon hysteria runs rampant.

So what gimmicks does van Hove impose? Early on he shows a scene of levitation. Later when the girls are feigning fits of hysteria, all hell breaks loose scenically, with gusts of wind blowing through the windows, parts of the ceiling falling down and papers blown all over the stage. Really? Doesn’t all of this metaphysical visual pounding suggest that possession by the devil occurs? You can’t chalk it up to dramatization of what the girls are imagining, as they are blatantly indulging in fakery. To compound matters, at moments there are projections on a blackboard showing trees starting to move and birds flying upon the claim of an accuser seeing a bird supposedly in synch with the devil’s handiwork. All of this runs counter to the play’s exposé of false, made-up accusations. But it does provide a chance for scenic and lighting designer Jan Versweyveld and video designer Tal Yarden to help van Hove sensationalize the play.

Also, by setting the drama in modern dress, the characters looking contemporary seem awfully foolish talking about witches. This is a play that cries out to be in its historical setting when such a crazy situation actually existed. There is no need to strain to make any modern connection, as the play speaks for itself as a metaphor for the hysteria that can occur in different eras. When “The Crucible” played on Broadway in 1953, people stood outside the theater passing out leaflets against the impending execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in that time of hysteria.

Yet despite staging that calls more attention to the director than to the play, Miller’s drama cuts across time with its overall portrayal of persons who would rather die than falsely accuse others in the name game, and demonstrates how easily a community can be swept by hysteria generated by those with ulterior motives. There are also excellent parts for actors.

In this case Ben Wishaw gives a stalwart performance as the falsely accused John Proctor, and Sophie Okonedo is outstanding as his wife Elizabeth. Poignancy is reached in the ultimate scene, in which the two, bloody from apparent torture, tenderly support one another in the face of John’s scheduled execution if he doesn’t make a false confession. Saorise Ronan is appropriately rigid and defiant as Abigail Williams, leading the accusations in her effort to get revenge against Proctor for shunning her following their dalliance in hope of getting him for her own by disposing of his wife. But although Ronan does the strident part well, it doesn’t begin to measure up to what she achieved as the star of the film “Brooklyn.” But it does give the play a star-casting lift.

Tavi Gevinson is excellent as the fearful servant Mary Warren, who wants to tell the truth but is browbeaten to go with the pack. Ciarán Hinds make a strong villain as inquisitor and enforcer Deputy Governor Danforth. Jim Norton makes a vivid impression as Giles Corey, who, defiantly and desperately, is trying to save his wife. Others giving good performances include Brenda Wehle as Rebecca Nurse, Jason Butler Harner as Revered Samuel Parris and Bill Camp as Reverend John Hale.

The cast members have to work against the staging. For one thing, while the tale is one of intimate intensity, the playing area representing a schoolhouse is so spread out and with the ceilings so high that the cast must project with extra strength to avoid the more intimate talk getting lost. Also, in the trial scenes, instead of being tightly focused, actors are often scurrying about in heated arguments in a very loose and unlikely manner. Then there is the annoyance of Philip Glass’ needling score which rumbles along softly but is nonetheless distracting.

I have seen various productions of “The Crucible,” and even though this one is the least effective in my theatergoing experience, Miller’s durable work still resonates. Its finely-crafted dialogue and its message come through meaningfully and younger-generation theatergoers who haven’t yet seen the play, as well as others, can be impressed and moved even by this version. At the Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 West 48th Street. Phone: 877-250-2929. Reviewed April 3, 2016.

  

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