Crucible Review
...lutter the stage and make it a lot smaller, when in reality they actually made it larger, if anything. The actors for the most part did a good job. Some actors I liked better than others, although it is hard to determine if this was because of their characters or how they portrayed them. Reverend Hale for instance was one of my favorite characters and I thought the actor who played him did a good job at depicting him as a likeable guy. Reverend Parris on the other hand I thought was a bit overdone and mis-portrayed. He continually gave odd looks and fiddled with his hands. How much of this was intentional I am not sure. Perhaps this was the director’s interpretation of the character, but reading the book I didn’t really get this impression of him. The actor who played Judge Danforth spoke in a very loud voice, almost yelling at times it seemed. Although a judge should certainly have a loud, assertive voice, it seemed as though this was too much and distracted the audience from what was really going on in the scene. On the other side of the spectrum, some of the actors sometimes spoke too softly or mumbled and it was hard to hear their lines. Early on, the play “came alive” for me. The opening scene was very powerful, with loud, spirited music playing. The group of girls from the town are dancing wildly and the audience is immediately mesmerized. This scene makes you wonder why the girls are dancing like this, and draws you into the play. Later on, the play becomes long and drawn out however; some of this magic is lost (although, this is not entirely the production’s fault). The play accomplishes what it intends to do, in that it draws you in so that you may receive its message. As an audience member I felt a great deal of emotions in reaction to the characters. Reverend Parris, Judge Danforth, Abigail and the girls all made me feel angry and confused. John Proctor and Reverend Hale made me happy, and sad, and gave me hope that even a situation of mass hysteria is able to be overcome. At the end of the play when John Proctor went to his death, I felt a whirlwind of emotions. I felt happy, sad, I wished I could help, I questioned the people who sent him to death, and the whole town for that matter for letting the situation get out of control. I think that the actors, in all of these cases, greatly contributed to the emotions felt by the audience. However, once again, the length sort of detracted from the magnitude of emotions that were felt. If the play was shorter and more succinct, perhaps it would have been m...