Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’: A bewitching revival

‘THE CRUCIBLE’: (Left to right) Ben Whishaw & Tavi Gavinson & cast. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

THE CRUCIBLE
Written by Arthur Miller
Directed by Ivo Van Hove
Through July 17, 2017
Walter Kerr Theatre
219 West 48th Street
(877-250-2929) www.TheCrucibleOnBroadway.com

By Scott Harrah

Whether one understands Belgian director Ivo van Hove’s modern spin on Arthur Miller’s 1953 masterpiece about the 1692 Salem witch trials, complete with a spooky, ambient score by Philip Glass, seems almost irrelevant. Why? The material is so brilliantly written, it literally leaves us spellbound. This is Mr. Miller’s most complex work, and Mr. van Hove overlooks (if not ignores) the allegorical subtext about the early 1950s McCarthy-era Communist “red scare” in America many believe the show parallels. Instead, the focus is on the paranormal and the creep factor, from eerie lighting to a levitating girl, ominous wind, flickering candles, a lone wolf/dog on stage, and scribbled messages on a classroom chalkboard. Granted, this interpretation is unorthodox and infused with the European sensibility Mr. van Hove used in last fall’s revival of another Arthur Miller classic, A View from the Bridge. Mr. van Hove’s touches may seem affected, but this remains a gripping, intense piece of theater, even at nearly three hours long.

In step with the current trend in retooling classics, the cast sports modern clothes, with the young girls dressed in parochial school uniforms, and cast members drinking coffee dispensed from a 21st century thermos. However, it’s easy to look beyond the surface here and instead focus on Mr. Miller’s tense narrative about real-life events in late-17-century Massachusetts, and how false accusations and government corruption, coupled with religious fanaticism, result in a horrifying outcome. Allegations of “witchcraft” in Salem certainly have similarities with the red-baiting of the 1950s, and perhaps with all the finger-pointing and scare tactics modern politicians use to persuade the masses on the campaign trail.

The accusations begin when a group of local girls allegedly frolicked in a nocturnal “Satanic” ritual in the woods with a Caribbean slave, Tituba (Jenny Jules). After being caught by Reverend Samuel Parris (Jason Butler Harner), his daughter Betty (Elizabeth Teeter) falls into what appears to be a coma-like trance.

The “mean girls” of Salem give some of the show’s best performances. Saoirse Ronan (fresh from her Oscar-nominated performance in Brooklyn) is first rate as Abigail Williams, Reverend Parris’s niece and the girls’ ringleader. With her manic mannerisms and ghoulish features, Ms. Ronan is the perfect demonic catalyst for the trumped-up charges. She is the devil incarnate indeed. Equally disturbing is Tavi Gevinson (This is Our Youth) as Mary Warren, the young house servant who eventually tries, unsuccessfully, to prove the girls are lying.

Ciarán Hinds is excellent as Deputy Governor Danforth, the sanctimonious judge who precipitates the ultimate fate of the accused. Fine portrayals are also given by Bill Camp as Reverend John Hale, and Broadway veteran Jim Norton as Giles Corey, husband of one of the accused.

However, there are inconsistencies in the casting of other roles. Ben Whishaw is often passionate as accused farmer John Proctor—a tough role indeed, played in the past by everyone from Daniel Day Lewis to Liam Neeson—but he has little chemistry with wife Elizabeth (played by Oscar nominee and Tony Award winner Sophie Okonedo). Ms. Okonedo, while a great actress, is miscast here.

This revival won’t please Arthur Miller purists. In fact, it might outrage some. Regardless, the most telling aspect of The Crucible is how much the message of what some see as “good” vs. “evil”—and the ways lives can be ruined with slander and lies—holds up today, even in a production as unconventional as this. Be prepared to be bewitched, bothered and (thanks to director Ivo van Hove) possibly bewildered by Arthur Miller’s haunting masterpiece.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 8, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on April 7, 2016

‘THE CRUCIBLE’: Elizabeth Teeter, Saoirse Ronan & Tavi Gavinson. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

‘THE CRUCIBLE’: (left to right) Elizabeth Teeter, Saoirse Ronan, Tavi Gevinson, Ashlei Sharp Chesnut & Erin Wilhelmi. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

‘THE CRUCIBLE’: Ben Whishaw & Tavi Gevinson. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

‘THE CRUCIBLE’: Ben Whishaw, Tavi Gevinson & cast. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

‘THE CRUCIBLE’: Sophie Okonedo & Ben Whishaw. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

‘THE CRUCIBLE’: Saoirse Ronan & Ben Whishaw. Photo: Jan Versweyveld