Play Review of the "Crucible"
... students began to fill the seats. Then the lights dimmed and all the chattering came to a sudden stop. The play began with a narrator giving some context to the play. She told us how this play took place in the Puritan New England town of Salem, Massachusetts. She went on to say how frightening or surprising occurrences were often attributed to the devil or his cohorts, and they called this witchcraft. The narrator walked off stage; then a group of girls, along with a black slave, begins to dance. They say they are in the forest at this time; however, it appears as if they are in the house because that is the only stage setting. The girls are caught by a local minister, Reverend Parris. Betty, who was part of the group, suddenly falls into a coma-like state. Rumors of witchcraft soon spread throughout the town. John Proctor, a local farmer, begins to question Abigail, the ringleader of the girls. She admits to nothing and says she was just dancing. Abigail says that John’s wife Elizabeth is a witch because she is jealous of her. They say that John had an affair with Abigail. Mary, John, and Elizabeth’s servant, are sent to court to testify that the girl’s are lying. The girl’s soon turn the story around on Mary and say that she is bewitching them. Mary breaks down and accuses Proctor of being a witch. Proctor goes into a rage, and the court arrests him and in the end he is sent to the gallows to be hung for witchcraft. The play ends by stating by 1692, nineteen people and two dogs were killed because of accusations of witchcraft. This play was very different from other plays that I have attended. It had a very gloomy vibe about it, as opposed to Grease. The actors, portrayed characters of the sixteen hundreds, very well. They used the correct jargon and accents that one woul...