Experience intense theater with the Grand’s ‘The Crucible’

The Grand Theatre’s production of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” is an intense tour-de-force that every student should go see.  Every student gets one free ticket for any performance, so it won’t hurt the bank account, and there are few things better that one could spend three hours experiencing.

While much has been made of the plays connection to and comments on McCarthyism, like all good stories, “The Crucible” has much more to offer than a past tense look at an era many people only vaguely remember from U.S. History.

From the moment the play starts with a child sick in bed with an unknown illness, the actors explore fear of the unknown.  The tension is palpable with the intricate relationships between haves, have-nots and want-to-gets.

Richard Scharine’s Giles Corey provides some moments of levity, but not at the expense of the story or the expense of his character.  David Hanson’s performance as John Proctor is equaled by Sahara Hayes who plays his Young Tryst Abigail and by Cassandra Stokes-Wylie who plays his Wife Elizabeth Proctor.

The lighting effects create forests out of buildings and add a surprising amount to the fear factor of the show.  The sound effects provide a creepy intro to each act.

In the end, the audience keeps wishing for truth to win out.  For those who want to know, they will need to go see “The Crucible.”