The Crucible And Mccarthyism

FRONT ROW CENTRE: Stage Centre's 'The Crucible' a riveting piece

From the moment the curtain goes up on Stage Centre Productions' staging of The Crucible there is tension in the air. Written by Arthur Miller in 1952, the play was his response to Senator Joseph McCarthy's "witch hunts" that spearheaded the anti-communist tide of the 1950s. Miller saw the Salem witch trials of 1692 as a perfect allegory to McCarthyism. It also plays as an indictment of organized religion. The townsfolk fear witchcraft, and that fear is fueled by members of the clergy in their attempt to control their parishes. J.B. Pierre Rajotte gives an impressive performance as Reverend Samuel Parris who first discovers his daughter, his niece and their friends apparently practicing sorcery in the woods near his property. When his daughter becomes strangely and seriously ill, the rumours that the girls were involved with witchcraft multiply, fueled by his niece, Abigail. She does it out of revenge against the man who seduced and abandoned her, John Proctor. The performance really catches fire late in the first act in a scene set the home of farmer Proctor whose wife, Elizabeth (sensitively played by Debbie Yuen), is charged with witchcraft. Lawrence Stevenson gives a beautifully detailed performance as Proctor, who, in order to save his wife, is forced to publicly admit his adultery. The trial scene in the second act is full of fireworks as the young girls who first brought the charges of sorcery to light attempt to recant their testimony. Will van der Zyl offers a compassionate performance as Reverend John Hale, locking horns with Frank Keenan as the formidable Judge Hathorne, eager to ensure that justice is done. Once again, Garth Allen displays his skill at co-ordinating a large cast and helping shape some memorable performances. The entire company is exceptional, particularly Alan Washbrook as Deputy-Governor Danforth, Irit Shomrony as Abigail, and Kara Evelyn as Tituba, who opens the show with some expressive singing. Seeing this play through modern eyes we can only begin to imagine how the ultra-conservative audiences of the 1950s would have been affected by the drama. It is still a riveting piece. The Crucible wraps up the 2010-2011 season for Stage Centre Productions, presenting five remounts of well-received productions from previous seasons. I did not see their previous production of this play, but it would be hard to imagine it could possibly have been any more thrilling.

Salem Witch Trials Live On Through "The Crucible" - melinda hunter

In 1950, Arthur Miller began writing a play about the Salem witch trials called “The Crucible“. In 1953, the play appeared on Broadway. Through this play Miller was able to connect the past with the present. When Arthur Miller wrote “The Crucible,” he had an alternative motive other than just to entertain. During the 1950’s, the U.S. was struggling to prevent communism in the Cold War. Communist spies were implanted all over the U.S. transmitting valuable information to our enemy. An American politician by the name Joseph McCarthy, claimed to have a list of 200 known communists within the government. He never really had any evidence, but managed to make numerous accusations. Some of which conveniently turned out to be true. However, his accusations of people in high positions eventually led to his down fall. Joseph McCarthy’s scheme is referred to today as McCarthyism. Does McCarthyism ring a bell? It should, because the Salem witch trials happened for the same reason McCarthyism did. In Midge Decter’s commentary over “The Crucible”, it states, “Arthur Miller found in the hysteria that overtook Salem a useful parallel to America's preoccupation with the activities and influence of the country's alleged Communists” ( Decter 1). I find humor in Miller’s discovery that both Joseph McCarthy and the people of Salem were on “witch-hunts”. This is Miller’s ultimate reason for writing a play over the Salem witch trials. He used his play as a mockery of McCarthyism. He was simply making fun of current events while connecting them to the past. So you see, the past has a way of making it into the future. It also has a way of reoccurring in different forms as we have seen. Keep your eyes out for the next extreme religion, or reoccurring event to take place in your lifetime.

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