The Crucible

The unusual setting for this brilliant play by Arthur Miller was very atmospheric, and worked extremely well. It was set in the true round, so that the audience were totally immersed in the action. The Lighting was subtle, with simple but effective use of window reflection gobo’s , however the wash lights were a little low on the tripods, and had a tendency to blind the audience if an actor was not masking them. The Costumes by Amanda Saunders were excellent and beautifully crafted by the sewing team. The minimal props were efficiently managed by Alex Airey and team, who handled the scene changes without blackout and avoided any dead spots.

This was an incredibly well Directed play by Emma Goldberg and Carolyn English. The movement in the round was very well considered, and had the audience gripped from start to finish. This large ensemble cast were so good that it would be unfair to pick out any one performance as outstanding, because they were all of such a high standard. Even when not in full view of the audience, every actor was reacting either physically or facially, to what was being said. The atmosphere was absolutely electric and emotional. My only criticism with the Direction was that the beginning of the courtroom scene, which took place outside the round, was poorly lit, so that for a short period of time the audience did feel a little excluded.

This was a brilliantly directed and performed piece of work, and a real joy to behold.

My congratulations to the MASK, the Directors, Actors and Production team.

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