The Crucible – Performance Review

The Crucible A joint cast from Melbourne High civilize and Mac. Robertson Girls High School were recently involved in a business of Arthur Millers The Crucible. The cast, led by Gilbert Stalinsfield as buttocks varan and Greta Nash as Elizabeth invigilate, was able to captivate the audience for an the entirety of the performer. manager Anne-Marie Brownhills rendering of the work out, plot of ground short, allowed for each actor to contribute his or her own ideas to the story without removing the overlying theme of the empowerment provided through with(predicate) lies and compete on peoples fears.Each actor showed a deep sympathy of the plot and was able to convey the message about McCarthyism and the symbolism of the ravish hunts for the way people were suspected and persecuted in the 50s when McCarthy was most influential. Millers work successfully illustrates the parallels between the series of events that occurred in the late 1600s know as the capital of Oregon Witch T rials and the events that had been occurring during the time that The Crucible was written in the 1950s. The combined cast from Melbourne High School and Mac.Robertson Girls High School were improbably impressive in their demonstration of these issues and the effects that these situations can have. Leading the egg-producing(prenominal) cast was Year 11 Alexandria Liistro. A shock choice for the role, Liistro mute her character and was able to portray the vindictive Abigail Williams to perfection. The seduction of John Proctor and lying to the judges appe atomic number 18d to come naturally in this wonderful performance, which utilise the technique of realism to enable the character to be understood by the audience.It was hard to find a member of the audience who, after visual perception the play, didnt feel a sense of disgust towards the way Williams had acted passim the plot. Liistro seemed to play on this disdain shown towards her and her character by not exclusively the aud ience but likewise the actors on stage. She truly showed the manipulative constitution of Abigail Williams. The gentle giant pile ness was very(prenominal) cleverly chosen to play Judge Danforth, the deputy governor of Massachusetts that presided over the Salem Witch Trials in this play. Ness giant stature and booming instance commanded attention as he delivered a pitch-perfect performance.The way in which Ness was able to control an entire act with his presence throughout the trials of Elizabeth Proctor, play by Greta Nash, made for very intense and enjoyable theatre. Ness was also able to convey the subtle compassion that Danforth has when he is offering Proctor the chance to save his own life by admitting to the heinous iniquity of devil-worshipping. The power in the delivery of every line by James Ness sent shivers through the audience and kept them interested from the get-go time he is seen on stage until the end of the play. The choice of costuming was very successful in portraying the true intentions of each character.Abigail Williams was dressed in a black with a red headband, showing the evil that litters her soul, while the rest of the girls that were testifying against the devil in court were wearing black with commonality headbands, showing the confusion and sickness that dominated their understanding of what they were doing. The green of the headbands have on by the group of girls were matched with the green light used in the kickoff act when Betty Paris has fallen sick due to the witchcraft that has been performed. some(prenominal) John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor wore lighter colours dominated by white and light greys.This choice of colour was to display the purity and honour of these two people, despite what was happening around them. Secondary characters that cared only a little bit about the witch trials that were occurring but only for self-centred reasons, like Giles Corey, were placed in costumes dominated by greys to show two the good and the evil in them. The set design and direction for this interpretation of The Crucible was very well thought out. The early acts of the performance are dominated by a very crowded stage by both actors and props. This adds to the effect of the confusion that is intended displayed throughout the beginning of the play.As the acts continue, it appears as though there is more and more unoccupied space on the stage to allow for the real message of the play to be conveyed through the words of the story and the performance of the actors. The stage for the final act is totally bare and very few actors are on stage at once. This set being stripped for this section was so that the raw feeling delivered through the acting was more powerful and more easily sight and understood. The set appears to be a symbol for logic and altruism. As the play continues, so does the logic and altruism displayed by any of the characters.