How did this happen?
All who stand in the frenzied fallout of mass hysteria have asked this question, and that includes audiences of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s latest production of “The Crucible.” Directed by Paul Barnes, the classic story by Arthur Miller tells the harrowing tale of the Salem Witch Trials — the fear, the panic and the lives destroyed in the process.
The play opens on a group of girls chanting to the sky and casting “charms” for sport in the woods. Once they are discovered and whispers of real witchcraft fill the air, the feverish sprint toward insanity begins.
At the center of the story is John Proctor, played by Michael Stewart Allen. As the whole town resolves itself to madness, Allen gives a raw and resonating depiction of a man desperate for redemption for himself and his wife while his own demons hold him under much darker magic than any witch in Salem could conjure.
Tarah Flanagan plays the role of Elizabeth Proctor, a faithful and picturesque housewife to John, portraying with explicit nobility Elizabeth’s resolute wall of rightness built so high that rarely does her inner turmoil peek through.
Inciting the chaos is Gracyn Mix’s Abigail Williams, played with all the defiance and delusion of a young girl reveling in attention and reckless with short-sighted vengeance. Deputy Governor Thomas Danforth, played by Stephen Paul Johnson, is the undaunted force behind the witchcraft accusations whose steadfast and false logic would almost be laughable if it wasn’t so horrifying.
The palpable panic as Salem spirals out of control is seen most vividly in Eric Gilde’s Reverend John Hale — the out-of-town expert sent as a voice of reason — and Stephanie Lambourn’s Mary Warren — the one girl willing to expose the others as frauds. As both find that all reason is gone and slip from their once solid principled footing, the blanket of tension over the audience thickens.
Across the whole of the stage spans a sparse rafter-type construction and little else. With only a few modest pieces of furniture to denote between bedroom, courthouse and dungeon, the set and its harsh lights and deep shadows mirror not only a more bare and abrupt society, but the minds of those entrenched in this witch hunt. “This is a sharp time, now, a precise time,” Danforth says as he makes the matter of witchcraft black and white, a notion the audience sees painted literally as the people of Salem are left stripped with no gradient of shadow.
Though based in 1692 and inspired by The Red Scare of 1953, this story stands as a testament to the dangers of the hive mentality. It’s a world where conclusions become law, as sturdy as Scripture, and on The Rep’s stage it echoes as pertinent as it does ancient.
“The Crucible” runs through Nov. 13. For showtimes and more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit The Rep’s website. You can also call (501) 378-0405 or visit the theater’s box office downtown at 601 Main St., Little Rock.