Synopsis:
This play is truly and epic for recent times. The language used
by Miller for his characters are intelligent and eloquent, but not
to such an extent as to make for difficult reading (like Shakespeare
for instance). Miller's Crucible is largely based on the Salem Witch
Trials and contains more than a few actual quotes for his characters
that came from transcripts of the real trials. The plot is so very
clever with many layers and themes and subplots running throughout.
There is the obvious top layer that almost anyone can understand
about the horror of the witchhunt, and then there is a more subtle
layer about the inner nature of humans... sometimes it can be quite
dark (like Abigail, the girl who really leads the accusations) or
cowardly (like Parris, whose only real drive seems to be saving
his own skin and reputation) and yet there are others that are good
(John Proctor, who takes on almost like a Christ figure) and righteous
(like Rebecca Nurse who is practical and strong willed through the
whole ordeal). The writing is brilliant and it is easy to become
thoroughly entrenched in the horror that life in Salem in 1692 came
to be. There are many tense moments, and many agonizing situations,
and I was quite swept up with the futileness and frustration that
many of the accusees more than likely felt. This play is brilliant,
and was written in response to the McCarthy horror that swept the
1950's, and serves as a disturbing warning that the intolerance
and hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials has happened before, and
can happen again.
About
the Writer:
ARTHUR
MILLER (Playwright) was born in New York City in 1915 and
studied at the University of Michigan, where two of his plays
were produced in 1934. When he graduated in 1938 he began
working with the Federal Theatre Project and wrote radio plays
for CBS and the Cavalcade of America. His first Broadway production
was The Man Who Had All the Luck in 1944. His plays include
All My Sons (1949), The Crucible (1953), A View from the Bridge
and A Memory of Mondays (1955), After the Fall (1964), The
Price (1968), The Creation of the World and Other Business
(1972), The American Clock (1980), The Ride Down Mt. Morgan
(1991), The Last Yankee (1993), and Broken Glass (1994), among
many others. The Signature Theatre Company dedicated its 1997-98
season to Mr. Miller, which included the premiere of his latest
play Mr. Peters' Connections. The 50th anniversary production
of Death of a Salesman received the Tony and Drama Desk awards
for best revival of a play, as did the Roundabout Theatre's
recent production of A View from the Bridge. Mr. Miller's
screenplays include The Misfits and Everybody Wins, "Playing
for Time" (for television), and the recent adaptation
of The Crucible (Academy Award nomination for best screenplay).
Awards: Pulitzer Prize, three Tony Awards, two Drama Critics
Circle Awards, an Obie, a BBC Best Play Award, an Olivier
Award for best play, the George Foster Peabody Award, a Gold
Medal for Drama from the National Institute of Arts and Letters,
the Creative Arts Award from Brandeis University, the Literary
Lion Award from the New York Public Library, the John F. Kennedy
Lifetime Achievement Award, the Alger Meadows Award, the Pell
Award for Excellence, the National Book Award Medal for Distinguished
Contributions to the Arts, and a 1999 Tony Award for
lifetime achievement. Mr. Miller holds honorary doctorate
degrees from Harvard University and Oxford University.
ARTHUR
MILLER (Playwright) was born in New York City in 1915 and
studied at the University of Michigan, where two of his plays
were produced in 1934. When he graduated in 1938 he began
working with the Federal Theatre Project and wrote radio plays
for CBS and the Cavalcade of America. His first Broadway production
was The Man Who Had All the Luck in 1944. His plays include
All My Sons (1949), The Crucible (1953), A View from the Bridge
and A Memory of Mondays (1955), After the Fall (1964), The
Price (1968), The Creation of the World and Other Business
(1972), The American Clock (1980), The Ride Down Mt. Morgan
(1991), The Last Yankee (1993), and Broken Glass (1994), among
many others. The Signature Theatre Company dedicated its 1997-98
season to Mr. Miller, which included the premiere of his latest
play Mr. Peters' Connections. The 50th anniversary production
of Death of a Salesman received the Tony and Drama Desk awards
for best revival of a play, as did the Roundabout Theatre's
recent production of A View from the Bridge. Mr. Miller's
screenplays include The Misfits and Everybody Wins, "Playing
for Time" (for television), and the recent adaptation
of The Crucible (Academy Award nomination for best screenplay).
Awards: Pulitzer Prize, three Tony Awards, two Drama Critics
Circle Awards, an Obie, a BBC Best Play Award, an Olivier
Award for best play, the George Foster Peabody Award, a Gold
Medal for Drama from the National Institute of Arts and Letters,
the Creative Arts Award from Brandeis University, the Literary
Lion Award from the New York Public Library, the John F. Kennedy
Lifetime Achievement Award, the Alger Meadows Award, the Pell
Award for Excellence, the National Book Award Medal for Distinguished
Contributions to the Arts, and a 1999 Tony Award for
lifetime achievement. Mr. Miller holds honorary doctorate
degrees from Harvard University and Oxford University.
