By Catherine Jozwik
Arthur Miller’s still relevant 1953 play “The Crucible,” a partially fictionalized account of the 1692 Salem witch trials and a parallel to 1950s McCarthyism in which individuals were accused of communism by US Government figures, is brought to life in Milwaukee theater company First Stage’s current production.
Part of First Stage’s Through Our Lens 2021 Virtual Season of Plays and directed by Ann Joseph-Douglas (“The Piano Lesson,” “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter”), “The Crucible” is a Young Company Performance Project, “an actor-driven presentation that uses limited production elements, allowing the connection between actor and audience to be enhanced, emphasizing the power of the spoken word to come alive in exciting ways,” according to a press release. The project, with Matt Daniels as its director, is sponsored by the United Performing Arts Fund and Children’s Wisconsin.
Eloise Field as Abigail Williams in First Stage’s “The Crucible.”
Set in Salem, Massachusetts, over 300 years ago, “The Crucible” explores themes of justice, morality, fear, jealousy, revenge and religion through its Puritan characters, superbly explored by First Stage actors. As unfounded accusations of witchcraft spread through Salem causing hysteria, neighbors, friends and even family members begin to turn on each other, leading to tragic consequences and a shocking conclusion.
The immensely absorbing play, developed by artistic director Jeff Frank, works well as a virtual radio-style broadcast, with a short opening sequence of several characters in costumes, coordinated by Shannon O’Donnell, running through the woods. Black-and-white illustrations of Puritan homes and courtrooms are used as a backdrop, although First Stage actors are able to convey the complex emotions of the characters through Miller’s literary (and often tricky 17th-century) dialogue alone.
Daisha Lafford as Tituba in First Stage’s “The Crucible.”
The play, which runs approximately two hours and 30 minutes, is suitable for families with children ages 13 and up.
“The Crucible” features the following First Stage Young Performers:
-Sam Bower (Whitefish Bay) as John Proctor
-Trevor Schmitt-Ernst (Wauwatosa) as Reverend Parris
-Costello Mylott (Milwaukee) as Thomas Putnam
-Liam Jeniga (Delavan) as Giles Corey
-Kate Ketelhohn (Cedarburg) as Francis Nurse
-Kamani Graham (Milwaukee) as Reverend Hale
-Zachary Nowacek (Wauwatosa) as Ezekiel Cheever
-Jonathan Edwards (Milwaukee) as Marshal Herrick
-Aderynf Grace (Milwaukee) as Judge Hathorne
-Madison (“Maddie”) Uphoff (Madison) as Deputy Governor Danforth
-Eloise Field (Oconomowoc) as Abigail Williams
-Magdalyn Rowley-Lange (Milwaukee) as Mary Warren
-Jeana Bormett (Madison) as Betty Parris
-Ella Vitrano (Greendale) as Susanna Wolcott
-Nora Rommelfanger (Wauwatosa) as Mercy Lewis
-Daisha Lafford (Milwaukee) as Tituba
-Elisheva Scheuer (Bayside) as Elizabeth Proctor
-Selma Rivera (Milwaukee) as Mrs. Ann Putnam
-Molly McVey (Bayside) as Rebecca Nurse
-Sabrina Borg (Cedarburg) as Sarah Good
-Emily Treffert (Glendale) as Stage Directions/Martha Corey
A recorded performance of “The Crucible” can be streamed through Broadway on Demand through March 7. Tickets are priced at $15, $25, or $40 and can be purchased online at www.firststage.org, or by calling 414-267-2961.