It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the U.S. government blacklisted accused communists.
Starring Ben Whishaw as John Proctor, Tony winner Sophie Okonedo as his wife Elizabeth Proctor, Saoirse Ronan as Abigail Williams, and Ciaran Hinds as Deputy-Governor Danforth.
The production will be directed by Ivo van Hove, and will have scenic and lighting design by longtime van Hove collaborator Jan Versweyveld, costume design by Wojciech Dziedzic, and an original score by Philip Glass. Additional casting and design team will be announced at a later date.
But what has theatergoers talking is the show's paranormal activity. The Belgian van Hove doesn't seem to have gotten the memo about how Miller wasn't writing about Satan but the Communist witch hunt of the '50s. In his version, a girl levitates off her bed, a gust of wind upends a classroom and mysterious scribbles appear on a blackboard. The show tries to have it both ways: As a supernatural spookfest and as a morality tale about mass hysteria and intolerance. You may be mystified, but you won't be bored -- the gorgeous-looking production weaves a creepy spell every minute of its nearly three hours.
Ronan is convincing as chief mean girl Abigail Williams, with her mouth set in a hard line and her eyes narrowed. I liked her performance, but didn't necessarily see Abigail as someone capable of whipping up the frenzy relied on in 'The Crucible'...While I'm confident Miller believed in the power of mankind to manipulate and be manipulated, I'm rather sure his 'witch hunt' was metaphorical. Theatrical flourishes here -- girls suspended in mid-air, windstorms, what appears to be a wolf wandering alone on stage -- suggest van Hove prefers it an open-ended question. That added an unanticipated layer to the nearly three-hour proceedings.
1953 | Broadway |
Broadway |
1958 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
1964 | Broadway |
Broadway |
1972 | Broadway |
Broadway |
1990 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
1991 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2002 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2016 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
2019 | Off-Broadway |
Bedlam's Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
2023 | West End |
West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Bill Camp |
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music in a Play | Philip Glass |
2016 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Sophie Okonedo |
2016 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Ben Whishaw |
2016 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Arthur Miller |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Ben Whishaw |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Jim Norton |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or off-Broadway) | The Crucible |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Jan Versweyveld |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Bill Camp |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Sophie Okonedo |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Arthur Miller's The Crucible |
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