It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the U.S. government blacklisted accused communists.
Starring Ben Whishaw as John Proctor, Tony winner Sophie Okonedo as his wife Elizabeth Proctor, Saoirse Ronan as Abigail Williams, and Ciaran Hinds as Deputy-Governor Danforth.
The production will be directed by Ivo van Hove, and will have scenic and lighting design by longtime van Hove collaborator Jan Versweyveld, costume design by Wojciech Dziedzic, and an original score by Philip Glass. Additional casting and design team will be announced at a later date.
Good things come to those who wait. Remember that. Because it takes a long time for Broadway's star-studded revival of Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible' to cast a spell. In the end, it does. The final 15 minutes of this play, set amid the Salem witch trials, are built to be shattering and heart-wrenching...Innovative Belgian director Ivo van Hove's staging wrings out every devastating drop of power. As for the preceding 135 minutes - not so much. The drama is packed with ideas about truth and power. But as played here, it's high on talk, but stubbornly low on impact. Most notably, marquee names - Soairse Ronan, Ben Whishaw and Sophie Okonedo - don't make deep impressions.
For the sixth time on Broadway, it's the season of the witch. Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, his raw if hyperbolic reenactment of the deadly Salem Witch Trials, struck a nerve when it first premiered in 1953 as a scorching condemnation of the House Un-American Activities Committee, then in the process of uprooting communists via innuendo, scare-mongering, and intimidation. The play's easy-to-understand themes of mob mentality and mass hysteria have made it Miller's most produced work (especially in high schools and colleges), yet in all honesty, the piece is somewhat flat when considered outside the allegory for McCarthyism. As a theatrical experience in 2016, The Crucible needs freshening up.
1953 | Broadway |
Broadway |
1958 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
1964 | Broadway |
Broadway |
1972 | Broadway |
Broadway |
1990 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
1991 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2002 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2016 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
2019 | Off-Broadway |
Bedlam's Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
2023 | West End |
West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Bill Camp |
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music in a Play | Philip Glass |
2016 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Sophie Okonedo |
2016 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Ben Whishaw |
2016 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Arthur Miller |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Ben Whishaw |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Jim Norton |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or off-Broadway) | The Crucible |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Jan Versweyveld |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Bill Camp |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Sophie Okonedo |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Arthur Miller's The Crucible |
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