CAUTIONARY TALE OF FEAR AND LOATHING
Arthur Miller’s Crucible is a savage attack on the evils of mob justice
The Crucible
The Everyman, Cork Feb 23 and Feb 24 ★★★★★
A‘Witches never actually existed but communists really did’
rthur Miller’s The Crucible, performed by Bolt Productions, runs at The Everyman, Cork, on February 23 and February 24. It’s a powerful piece of political drama about the dangers of hysterical mass accusations, based on the 1692 Salem witch trials in Massachusetts.
In that rigidly Puritan community, any behaviour outside the strict norms of society was suspect, and could result in expulsion, or even execution if there was a hint of witchcraft or dallying with the devil: even not attending church services or being critical of the pastor was dangerous.
By the end of the original witch trials, 24 people were dead, most of them executed by hanging. It all began when some girls who were misbehaving accused others of bewitching them. The result was an outbreak of hysterical behaviour, confessions and accusations.
Arthur Miller was initially inspired to write The Crucible by a visit to the Witch Museum in Salem, and by a book, The Devil in Massachusetts.
He immediately linked the witch trials with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in the Forties, set up to investigate communist activity in America. For him, the HUAC was a modern version of the Salem trials. Several people pointed out one major difference between the two: witches had never actually existed whereas communists really did exist.
Miller refused to cooperate with the HUAC and was sentenced to jail, although it was ultimately reduced to a fine. He believed the HUAC wanted to publicly expose him as a member of the Communist Party; in fact he had filled out a form to join but hadn’t signed it for some unexplained reason.
A number of theatrical professionals were blacklisted afterwards because of their involvement with the communist movement, although most of them had essentially been mild supporters of left-wing movements which they had by then deserted. The Communist Party wasn’t even illegal. The HUAC was leaving it up to theatre bosses to blacklist people associated with the party. One of the main aims of activists in America was to gain control of unions involved in the theatrical world.
Miller naively believed that it was ignoble for the Allied countries after World War 2 to be antagonistic to Stalin’s Russia, which had helped defeat Hitler. He didn’t recognise that Stalin was following directly in Hitler’s footsteps by his encroachment on eastern Europe after the war. But none of that detracts from the power of The Crucible as an indictment of mob justice.
The two central characters in the play are John Proctor and young Abigail Williams, who have had an adulterous relationship.
Abigail is a ruthless, manipulative liar, whose behaviour leads to an outbreak of hysteria, accusations, hypocrisy and paranoia. Many innocent women are accused of witchcraft.
The administration of justice is summed up by the judge’s statement that witchcraft is known only to the witch and the victim, which makes it almost impossible for people to defend themselves. Since the witch won’t admit guilt, the court must accept the word of the alleged victim. Those accused have two choices: admit guilt and be reprieved or refuse to admit guilt and be hanged.
The Bolt Production has a cast of 21 directed by Darren Kelleher.
● Chamber Choir Ireland opens its 2022 spring season with Northern Lights, a programme of works by Swedish and Finnish composers celebrating the choral music of Scandinavia, on Saturday, February 19, in the Pepper
Canister Church, Dublin, at 6.30pm. Guest director is Swedish-born chief conductor of the BBC Singers Sofi Jeannin. Northern Lights aims to capture the beauty of the Scandinavian countryside as darkness draws close, from dusk by Hugo Alfvén (Evening), to night descending on a snowy scene in Karin Rehnqvist’s Natt över Jorden; Håkan Parkman’s serenade is a tribute to the mythological Österland region of Finland. See chamberchoirireland.com
● The Ortús Chamber Music Festival takes place in Cork and county venues from Friday, February 25 to Sunday, February 27. Main performers will be Corkborn violinist Siún Miln (Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Irish Chamber Orchestra), Fiachra Garvey (piano), with musicians from Japan, USA, France, Spain and Russia. Programme:
UCC, Friday, 8pm: Chausson Concerto in D for solo violin, piano and strings.
Saturday, 7.30pm, Midleton: Dvorak, Piano Quintet No.2 and Shostakovich Five Melodies for two violins and piano.
Sunday, St Peter’s Church, North Main St, Cork, 3pm : Beethoven Piano Quartet in E flat major. See ortusfestival.ie