Reviewed by Tony Annicone

 

The fall show at the Orpheum Theatre in Foxboro is “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. One of the definitions of crucible is severe test. “The Crucible” is a 1953 play and was originally called “The Chronicles of Sarah Good. It is the dramatized and partially fictional story of the Salem witch trials that took place in Massachusetts in 1692 and 93. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of the McCarthyism, when the U.S. government blacklisted accused communists but it is also current with the goings on in this country now, too. The play was first performed on Broadway on January 22, 1953 and won the Tony Award for Best Play. This exciting drama is both a gripping historical play and a timely parable of our contemporary society with megalomaniac Judge Danforth ruling Salem with an iron fist. The story focuses on a young farmer, his wife, and a young servant girl who maliciously causes the wife’s arrest for witchcraft. The farmer brings the girl to court to admit the lie and it is here that the monstrous course of bigotry and deceit is terrifyingly depicted. The farmer, instead of saving his wife, finds himself also accused of witchcraft. Lori Beck infuses her cast with the energy to pull off these demanding roles which displays the hysteria of not only Salem but of the McCarthy hearings where they accused and condemned innocent as well as guilty people. There was absolutely no political freedom for the people of Salem. Sound familiar? This cast does an astounding joy with this dramatic show.

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