Arthur Miller's good idea not good enough
The Crucible
by Arthur Miller
Centaur Theatre, January 11-February 6, 2000
directed by Gordon McCall
Many of the great playwrights do not show a lot of versatility in the styles or even
subjects of their works. Tennessee Williams is known for the languid, family sagas;
Eugene O'Neill as well, but harder and darker. Even Shakespeare's plays fall into
specific categories, albeit more than one category. But if one saw The Crucible without
knowing who wrote it, one would never guess it was the same Arthur Miller who wrote
Death of a Salesman and The Price. Whereas the latter are about family dynamics and
individual life portraits, The Crucible paints a picture of the masses, and deals
expressly with how groups of people, not individuals, in society shape events.
In 1953 when Miller wrote The Crucible he was moved by the U.S. government's resolution
at the time to identify Americans who had participated in "un-American activities"
by attending a meeting of or belonging to the Communist Party. But instead of directly
presenting the McCarthy hearings, Miller took a clever, analogous angle. He wrote
about the witch-hunt in Massachusetts in the 17th century. The parallels were uncanny
and could not be lost on audiences in the 50's. Neither witchcraft nor communism
were easy to define, but established authorities (the Church and the Government)
had decided they were a threat to the social and moral fabric of the country. Neighbours
were pitted against neighbours in both cases, and the lives of good people were destroyed.
Besides bringing to the stage the inhumanity and hypocrisy of the Salem witch-hunts
Arthur Miller throws an unexpected element into his crucible. To critique the tactics
of Joe McCarthy and his henchmen in the Un-American Activities Committee, Miller
has the young women accused of witchcraft in turn accusing the most upright, uptight
matrons of the Puritan community. In this way the inefficiency of encouraging "naming
names" is highlighted - not to mention the disastrous consequences of rumours
and lies to the "social and moral fabric." Hypocrisy and irony squared!
This was my first experience of The Crucible in written or performance form. I was
not in that particular high school English class that read and analyzed it to death,
but I was familiar with the parallels over 250 years that Miller makes. Perhaps because
I thought Miller's idea was brilliant and that I admired his other works, I was convinced
I would love The Crucible. I didn't. I should have kept in mind that a good idea
does not necessarily make for a great work.
The Centaur production is plagued with uneven acting and uninventive lighting and
staging, but I do think the main culprit is the script itself. One weakness which
became increasingly obvious to me is that although the women were in the eye of the
storm, the men had a bigger voice in the play. Granted, it may have been a sign of
the times that men held the positions of power both in the 17th century and in the
1950s of McCarthyism, but a direct confrontation between the youthful, spirited ladies
and the accused matrons would have gone a long way dramatically.
Sadly, my disappointment in The Crucible may have a lot to do with the fact that
audiences today are all too familiar with hypocrisy and corruption in powerful institutions
and in people. In that respect The Crucible doesn't tell us anything we don't already
know. In the innocent '50s the public had yet to look behind the closed doors of
government, church, and corporations. A night out to see The Crucible in 1953 was
surely more eye-opening than seeing it today.
The best aspects of the Centaur's Crucible are a few individual performances - starting
with Emma Campbell as the spitfire Abigail Williams. She exudes intelligence and
determination while selfishly leading an attack on the hypocrisy and irrationality
of the witch-hunt. Jennifer Morehouse adds yet another fine performance to her theatre
credits. She keeps just the right restraint in portraying the loyal Puritan wife
Elizabeth Proctor, who is plagued with conflicting desires. This production also
treats us to veteran actor Douglas Campbell, whose importance in Canadian theatre
was recently marked by his being honoured with the Order of Canada. His talents are
undeniable as he presides over the witch trials as Deputy Governor Danforth, but
I look forward to seeing him in a more all-around satisfying production - perhaps
in Centaur's next production The Gin Game, where Campbell will perform opposite another
celebrated veteran, Viola Léger.
- Gaspare Borsellino
Arthur Miller's The Crucible continues at the Centaur Theatre, 453 St. François Xavier St., until February 6th. Call (514) 288-3161.
Gaspare Borsellino can also be heard on the radio program UPSTAGE, "Theatre on Radio" hosted by Estelle Rosen, Thursdays between 6 and 7 p.m. on CKUT 90.3 FM
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