Off Broadway Crucible Right on Target

In recent years, few classic dramas have been staged Off Broadway. Those that have been are often overly modernized or altered to such an extent that the original dramaturgy is hard to find. In notable contrast, the Schoolhouse Theater’s production of The Crucible combines almost flawless acting, creative stage design, and just enough novelty to do justice to Arthur Miller’s great classic.

Based on the events of the 1692 Salem witch trails, Miller’s historical play draws attention to the results of hysteria and mass paranoia in American society. The story follows John Proctor, a farmer whose wife, Elizabeth, has been accused of witchcraft by a group of young girls led by the Proctors’ former servant, Abigail Williams. Reverends and judges join the townspeople to determine the fate of those accused, and the play becomes a powerful allegory of McCarthyism and the politics of fear.

Rather ironically for a play with such a strong theme of religious persecution, the Arclight Theatre is located in the basement of a church. As the audience members draw conclusions about the characters onstage, it is as if they are simultaneously being observed—almost judged­—by the figure of Jesus painted on the ceiling above them. Although it is unclear whether this was the intention of the Schoolhouse Theater (which is actually based in the small town of Croton Falls, New York), it is clear that every aspect of the stage design itself is not only deliberate but also ingenious.

The set, designed by John Pollard, is made entirely of wood: wooden beams hang from the ceiling, and only two benches and a table are present on stage. These are rearranged in each scene to create a new location—the table, for example, serves as a bed in one scene and as a judge’s podium in another. The minimalism of the set is furthered by an almost complete absence of props, allowing the audience to focus its attention on the actors’ movements and facial expressions.

But what is by far the most effective aspect of the stage design is that there is—literally—no offstage. Every actor is onstage for the entire duration of the play, sitting on benches as if temporarily part of the audience. Amidst all this watching and being watched, the whole theater begins to feel almost like a panopticon—an extremely appropriate atmosphere for a play dealing with paranoia and accusation left and right.
From the minor actors to the stars of the performance, the acting is truly incredible. John Tyrrell transforms perfectly into Giles Corey—an eccentric old man who is wise enough to realize the ridiculous nature of the witch-hunt—while adding much needed comic relief to the play. The young girls, most notably Susanna Wallcott (Stephanie Bayliss) and Mary Warren (Sari Caine), who claim to be affected by witchcraft, magnificently present themselves as part of Abigail’s posse, giggling and gossiping amongst themselves like those high school girls we remember all too well. When these girls fall into their fits of hysteria, they do it so convincingly that the audience understands how the townspeople could believe in witchcraft.

Playing John Proctor, Simon MacLean shines in the lead role. He is able to gain the audience’s sympathy, and even some of the audience’s tears, despite his questionable actions early in the play. MacLean’s moral development can truly be heard in the sound of his voice and seen through his interactions with his dutiful wife, played by Sarah Bennett.

Although Sherry Stregack’s cunning and deceptive face presents a perfect portrait of Abigail, she is unfortunately a little too old to play the character. In most other productions, and indeed in Miller’s own version, Abigail is supposed to be a teenager, which makes her seductive relations with John Proctor more believable. Despite this casting glitch, though, Director Pamela Moller Kareman’s choice becomes at least somewhat justifiable when you see Stregack scheming and conniving on stage.
Whether you read The Crucible in high school and know every line by heart or have never before picked up the play, this production remains superb. And although student tickets are not cheap—they’ll run you $35­—every dollar is sure to be money well spent.