The Crucible *****
Wed, 23 May 2007, 10:39 amGordon the Optom3 posts in thread
The Crucible *****
Wed, 23 May 2007, 10:39 am‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller is brilliantly presented by Black Swan Theatre Company, at the Playhouse in Perth, each evening until 2nd June. Because of the 3-hour length of this play there is an earlier starting time of 7.30.
The theme of this story is the witch-hunt of Salem in 1692. The play could have been very heavy going, but with a cast of 18 actors, whose names read like a ‘Who’s Who of WA artists’ and includes several Equity Award winners, this presentation was magnificent.
The play opens with the body of a village girl lying on a table. She is in a coma. The local minister, Reverend Parris (Richard Mellick) is praying for her. Slowly it becomes obvious that she can drift in and out of her coma at will. When some of the other village girls mention that there had been naked dancing in the woods the previous night, it only ‘confirmed’ in the view of Parris that she had become taken by the devil. A local authority on exorcism, Rev Hale (Andrew Hale), was called in to help, but sadly things got worse, with half of the villagers becoming embroiled in the witch-hunt.
The young Mary Warren (Katie Keady) became the major centre of suspicion, when framed by Abigail (Jo Morris) and her friends. Do these girls have some hidden agenda? Despite the help of Mary’s neighbours, the Proctors (Steve Turner and Alison van Reeken), the whole confusion ends up in front of the Court and its ‘holier than thou’ hanging judge, Danforth (George Shevtsov).
Will the truth win through? Will the ministers help the accused be set free?
Director Tom Gutteridge (with the help of assistant director Adam Mitchell) was in top form, and kept the pace brisk. The odd touch of humour and plenty of suspense. Zoë Atkinson’s minimal rustic set of suspended wooden planks, gave the required solemn appearance, yet, when required, allowed with the correct lighting (Andrew Lake) to see beyond the immediate area. The soft golden lighting again gave a mediaeval feel. Kingsley Reeve’s sound and music was sparse, but along with the slightly muted sound effects the tense atmosphere was increased. The suspense could easily have been killed by too much mood music. Sara Walker’s well-researched costumes were perfect, with the court judges appearing drab and threatening.
The accents were, correctly, British West Country, as many of these villagers would have been transported on ships from Plymouth.
A superb cast put their all into the play, but extra praise must go to Richard Mellick whose twitching Uriah Heap-like Rev. Parris grovelled to the authorities. Andrew Hale as the village’s only official wiling to support them. Alison van Reeken as the loyal Mrs Proctor and Alexandria Steffensen as Tituba, the black scapegoat of the community. Then of course there were the two main stars of the show, Steve Turner who was absolutely outstanding as he pleaded and bargained and wonderful Katie Keady as the slightly shy and simple Mary.
With a dry script, this show could have been a tortuous 3 hours; thankfully the faultless direction coupled with Claudia Alessi’s movement of actors made the show a draining and frustrating experience. One leaves thinking that even today, these witch-hunts still go on here in Perth.
The theme of this story is the witch-hunt of Salem in 1692. The play could have been very heavy going, but with a cast of 18 actors, whose names read like a ‘Who’s Who of WA artists’ and includes several Equity Award winners, this presentation was magnificent.
The play opens with the body of a village girl lying on a table. She is in a coma. The local minister, Reverend Parris (Richard Mellick) is praying for her. Slowly it becomes obvious that she can drift in and out of her coma at will. When some of the other village girls mention that there had been naked dancing in the woods the previous night, it only ‘confirmed’ in the view of Parris that she had become taken by the devil. A local authority on exorcism, Rev Hale (Andrew Hale), was called in to help, but sadly things got worse, with half of the villagers becoming embroiled in the witch-hunt.
The young Mary Warren (Katie Keady) became the major centre of suspicion, when framed by Abigail (Jo Morris) and her friends. Do these girls have some hidden agenda? Despite the help of Mary’s neighbours, the Proctors (Steve Turner and Alison van Reeken), the whole confusion ends up in front of the Court and its ‘holier than thou’ hanging judge, Danforth (George Shevtsov).
Will the truth win through? Will the ministers help the accused be set free?
Director Tom Gutteridge (with the help of assistant director Adam Mitchell) was in top form, and kept the pace brisk. The odd touch of humour and plenty of suspense. Zoë Atkinson’s minimal rustic set of suspended wooden planks, gave the required solemn appearance, yet, when required, allowed with the correct lighting (Andrew Lake) to see beyond the immediate area. The soft golden lighting again gave a mediaeval feel. Kingsley Reeve’s sound and music was sparse, but along with the slightly muted sound effects the tense atmosphere was increased. The suspense could easily have been killed by too much mood music. Sara Walker’s well-researched costumes were perfect, with the court judges appearing drab and threatening.
The accents were, correctly, British West Country, as many of these villagers would have been transported on ships from Plymouth.
A superb cast put their all into the play, but extra praise must go to Richard Mellick whose twitching Uriah Heap-like Rev. Parris grovelled to the authorities. Andrew Hale as the village’s only official wiling to support them. Alison van Reeken as the loyal Mrs Proctor and Alexandria Steffensen as Tituba, the black scapegoat of the community. Then of course there were the two main stars of the show, Steve Turner who was absolutely outstanding as he pleaded and bargained and wonderful Katie Keady as the slightly shy and simple Mary.
With a dry script, this show could have been a tortuous 3 hours; thankfully the faultless direction coupled with Claudia Alessi’s movement of actors made the show a draining and frustrating experience. One leaves thinking that even today, these witch-hunts still go on here in Perth.