Scholars Trip to “The Crucible”
Drama scholars thoroughly enjoyed watching a production of ‘The Crucible’ at the National Theatre on 2nd November.
Read a review by Clemmie, Bethany, Charlotte (all U6) & Anna (U5), below.
Centred around lies and suspicion, the production effectively depicted the impact of false accusation within a small, tight-knit community.
We thought the set and lighting was masterful – invoking the eerie subtext of Arthur Miller’s work. We especially enjoyed Brendan Cowell’s performance as John Proctor, in which we thought he expertly developed and presented the theme of abuse of power that holds the play together.
Moreover, we were captivated by the performance of Fisayo Akinade as Reverend Hale as he explores the journey from the fastidious witchcraft expert to a despondent and desperate man trying to save the lives of those he has condemned.
We also enjoyed director Lyndsey Turner’s take on the story, particularly the addition of musical vocalisations on top of intense pieces of text. We thought this was a really interesting addition which really reinforced the themes of witchcraft and death.
The play was dark and moving and we regularly found ourselves leaning forward on our chairs, desperate to know what would happen next.
Overall, we would say that Lyndsey Turner’s insightful direction resulted in a brilliantly harrowing piece of theatre which encouraged us to reflect not only on the piece itself, but also Miller’s work more widely.
