Curve,
Leicester
3rd May,
2018
“There is a prodigious fear of this court in the country”
Curve’s
commitment to providing communal theatre projects is second to none, with the
annual community productions (this year’s Fiddler On The Roof looks
set to be the biggest yet, with a cast of over 100!) and their long-standing
working relationship with De Montfort University students. It gives the Drama
and Performing Arts students the opportunity to make use of the facilities and
in-house creatives at one of the UK’s leading regional theatres. It also gives
Curve the opportunity to reach out to a new generation of people eager to bring
a fresh and eager approach to old texts. This year’s collaboration is arguably
the most ambitious yet as the DMU drama students, led by director Siobhan Cannon-Brownlie,
take on Arthur Miller’s seminal classic, The Crucible.
A small-town
community gradually turns against each other amidst vengefulness, tarnished
honour, and fear. Much has been made of the play’s unnerving timelessness –
from the McCarthyism that inspired Miller, to harassment accusations and
celebrity sex scandals (the recent court case between Cliff Richard and the BBC
being a prime example), and even the hype and furore over ‘fake news’. So
naturally there’s a great amount of scope for style, satire and hard-hitting
home truths – whether that manifests through becoming a period piece, focussing
on contemporaneity, or perhaps highlighting aspects of society that have
perhaps flown under the radar. Unfortunately, Cannon-Brownlie lacks a clear
‘vision’ with her production. The characters seem to be from the 21st Century,
yet a certain ramshackle assortment of costumes – from ultra-modern cropped
hoodies, to 60’s housewife pertness and pearls, to clergyman smocks which
wouldn’t look out of place in an Edwardian vicarage – elicit a sense of
uncertainty. A stronger sense of intent would be welcome and, I feel, having a
definitive and identifiable setting would have held this production together
better. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they had to crowbar an agenda onto
their production, but giving it more specificity would’ve given the actors a
little more in which to invest. David Hately’s lighting is simple yet striking.
Al Parkinson’s imposing set involves a crucifix formation made from spaces in
concrete blocks which is a neat idea to suggest the weight of the repressing
forces at play. However, the design constricts the action and pushes the actors
too far forward and gives them little room to traverse the stage. This causes
what are dynamic scenes to feel a little picture-book tableau in style.
Where the
production shines is the performances. The wild coven of vengeful girls
demonstrates the terror of pack mentality, while Rebecca Woodford handled her
last-minute appointment to the role of Judge Hathorne with great tact and
dignity. Eleanor Page gives a mature, subtle, yet emotive performance as the
stoic Elizabeth Proctor and Calum Harris conveys the conflict between
obligation and morality that I’ve rarely acknowledged before in Danforth. Page
and Harris’ court confrontation was the dramatic highlight of the evening. In
fact, the court scenes stand out in general and, aided by Tash Taylor Johnson’s
pulsating bass score, the tension builds nicely throughout the final act to the
sobering conclusion.
While this
production may be a little overwhelmed by Miller’s play, it remains a joy to
see up and coming young talent at work, and I look forward to future Curve and
DMU co-productions.
The Crucible
plays at Curve, Leicester, until 5th May 2018.
The cast of The Crucible. Credit: Mark Barnett. |
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