I cannot blink what I saw. And the eerie sensations of how relevant ‘misinformation’ and its wildfire-level of spread still is in this day and age is unsettling, which makes Arthur Miller’s The Crucible a perfectly chilling tale for October. And Small Town Stars Theatre Company will do you one better. They’re presenting The Crucible outdoors. Directed by Cecelia Boynton, this dark drama is eerily relevant to the world today— as we are taught not to question the court, to fear what we do not understand, and destroy that which scares us.
The play is long; there’s no getting around that. And some of the pacing in the first act does drag in places, but for the most part— particularly once the courtroom scenes get going in the second act— the play stays engaging. And while there aren’t many scene changes (just some furnishings being shifted around inside of the unique almost barn-like structure that serves as the stage) these moments could have been bolstered and fortified with some scenic transitional music. (Or even just the use of Goody Good singing and chanting as she can so often be heard doing at other prominent moments in the production.)
Costume Designers Miranda Secula-Rosell and Jennifer Secula really draw out the late 17th century vibe with their careful outfitting of costumes to the cast. The bonnets and dresses are fitted well to each of the various girls on stage, as are the more formidable looking costumes for some of the men. Add to this aesthetic the ‘pre-show’ engagement that Director Cecelia Boynton puts in place and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped out of time and back into the Colonial era. Boynton engages the characters of the play to meander about, milling themselves around the open-air audience as dusk and darkness fall. This gives the audience a chance to experience the full dynamic of this sleepy little town of Salem…letting you see the giddy and mischievous girls gossiping and giggling together whilst Giles Corey chastises them and chases them off for shirking their work. It’s not an uncommon practice— ‘immersive cast inclusion’— for shows in this day and age. Boynton’s approach to it almost gives the characters this ghostly essence. While some may nod or briefly speak ‘good evening’ at the audience, they drift through the space more like apparitions reliving their past, like specters that haunt the hallowed ground upon which their story is about to unfold.
Outdoor theatre in Maryland is a challenge, even for the most seasoned of companies. Small Town Stars Theatre Company does a fine job of cueing up and executing the lights (Dakota Secula-Rosell), by keeping them simple, which makes them effective. The lights work well in ambient outdoor darkness and the sound balance from the mics (Savanna Wright and Miranda Secula-Rosell) is maintained in a fashion that keeps the cast audible against the odd passing truck or vehicle. And in some spooky accord with nature, Wright and Secula-Rosell seem to have put their own sound-designing names in some magical book…as the psithurism that crackles during John Proctor and Abigail Williams’ scene is almost unearthly and yet so perfectly timed with that whole exchange it sends shivers up the spine.
Boynton utilizes more than just the obvious space before the park-bench seats of the ‘band-stand’ style shed-stage when it comes to blocking and scenic setting. John and Abigail do ‘meet in the woods’ and it’s staged on the grass off to the side, giving it an extra eerie effect. The tool shed front is also used for staging of certain moments and Sarah Good— the town’s ditch-living drunk— can be seen hovering in the stage’s periphery, building her hut out of sticks (so much so that one might readily mistake her for Baba Yaga.) Played by Elizabeth Vinson, Sarah Good is often the one heard singing and humming or chanting in the background and her sound is mystifying and more than a little spooky. She has one actualized scene with lines, opposite Tituba (Braighlyn Randall) and Willard (Joel Owens who does a hilariously convincing job of being a staggering, tumble-down drunk) and when you get to hear her cackling in that scene it feels appropriately ‘witchy.’
Giles Corey (Bobbi Vinson) is the epitome of fusty old woman who knows every loophole, line, and letter of the law. Vinson has a little bite to her delivery, which adds the driest sense of humor to an otherwise humorless drama, and you can’t help but feel for her when she tries to undo her simple statement about ‘books and reading’ because it goes blown so far out of context by ‘the court.’ You see Vinson standing her ground in the courtroom scene alongside Francis Nurse (Tim Beavers) merely trying to defend the innocent in light of all the outrageous accusations that have suddenly befallen Salem.
The OG-Fatal Attraction girl, Abigail Williams (Delaney Goodwin) is just completely feral and totally unhinged. When you get down to brass taxes, Arthur Miller has penned female character who got dozens of people hanged, who went on a tear and made up stuff that never happened…all because the married man she was sleeping with wouldn’t leave his wife for her. Goodwin nails the role— everything from the sugarcoated sinister nature behind every envenomed word that she hisses at John Proctor to the utter terrified shock she puts on when supposedly she’s being ‘bewitched’ by those who are casting their spirits out upon her.
Playing almost directly opposite of Abigail, though in a very different vein, is Mary Warren (Olivia Ward) and her portrayal is equal parts unhinged though again in a very, very different fashion than that of Goodwin’s Abigail. You get a hint of accent on Ward’s character (though Goodwin has a firm clasp on the patois and overall cadence of 1692 Salem Massachusetts) and you get a thoroughly convincing portrayal of the character’s nervous disposition and near-breakdowns during the courtroom scenes. Ward is fascinating to watch during that scene, especially as John Proctor has to keep reassuring her and she nearly collapses in fear and anxiety under the raging gaze and barking tone of Judge Danforth.
The Proctors—John (Conor Harris) and Elizabeth (Michelle Cantatore) have an intentionally uneasy chemistry about them. They play well off of one another and in moments where they share the stage you feel as if their relationship dynamic is understood by one another entirely. While this stage adaptation doesn’t give Cantatore’s Elizabeth much to do, when she’s on stage her moments are actualized fully with great attention to emotional detail. Harris’ John Proctor, who occasionally has a firm handle on the “New-England-by-way-of-old-country” accent, is firm in his actions and emotional delivery as well. He’s nuanced and balanced in his overall portrayal of the character, finding the right moments for emotional explosions verses quieter, introspective ones.
As the wavering Reverend Hale, Kyle Secula does a spectacular job of showcasing character growth. Not always convinced of what’s happening and trying to play the middle line of the divide when it comes to ‘church and state’, Secula is grounded in his approach to the character and earnest when it comes to his interactions with the other characters on stage. Particularly when pleading for mercy and reconsideration with Judge Danforth, you get a clear picture of how readily Secula understands the very vexed character that he’s portraying.
Commandeering and dominating the production as the formidable Judge Danforth, Will Brown is a driving force in the show’s action and pacing. With a robust, booming voice, Brown is mesmerizing in this cavalier role. Often accompanied by the lackey of the court, Judge Hathorne (Rory Long, whose obstreperous nature, devious facial expressions, and overall ferociously sinister interruptions make the audience ready to despise this little villainous urchin from the word-go…), Brown’s Judge Danforth rules every scene that he struts through. There is great temptation to play Danforth as a barking monster, constantly yelling at a ten. But Brown doesn’t fall victim to this trap; he instead finds moments of serenity and balance, pensive and thoughtful reflection and consideration, played with control of volume, expression, and spatial awareness. It makes for a wholly engaging and dynamic performance which really leads the charge on the entire second act.
It’s a creepy feat, one with chilling effect to the modern day world with some really strong performances woven into the work as a whole. Three performances only and all in the evening— and outdoors at that— what a wonderful venture for this time of year.
Running Time: Approximately 3 hours with one intermission
The Crucible plays October 25th, 26th, and 27th 2024 with Small Town Stars Theatre Company outdoors at 7:00pm in the Hampstead War Memorial Park— 1215 N. Main Street in downtown historic Hampstead, MD. Tickets are available at the door or in advance online.
