The Crucible
Aug. 1st, 2014 10:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smallhobbitAlthough I’d heard about The Crucible, I’d never seen a performance, but the chance to see Richard Armitage at the Old Vic Theatre, in London, was one I was not going to miss. And then having booked a ticket there was the inevitable wait, with everyone else having apparently seen it. But now I have seen it, it was worth the wait, because I am sure that it’s going to be one of the highlights of my theatre going year.
I didn’t know the play, although I had some idea of what it was about. I found myself really disliking some of the characters, but at the same time drawn into the play – a tribute to both playwriting and acting. It was set in the round and I was on one side of the stage in the third row. From that position I wanted to get up and do something and truly participate, which I believe was the intention.
I thought Anna Madeley, who played Elizabeth Proctor, was very good – having to tread the path between being an almost cold character, but whose real love for her husband became clear by the end of the play. And Natalie Gavin, playing Mary Warren, showed clearly how an individual’s horror at her actions and her intentions to do the right thing can become subsumed by the power of the group. I imagine that other play goers would pick out different actors, there was such a depth to the company.
And then Richard Armitage as John Proctor. I’ve written elsewhere of the fear that a film/television actor I like may not be as good on stage. I was fairly confident that he would be good – I’ve avoided reviews, but it’s impossible not to see the headlines – but he was excellent. If I wanted to confront some of the characters with what they were doing, I was even keener to comfort John Proctor when his wife was taken away. And I watched intently when he stripped off his shirt to have a wash – I suspect I was not alone in this! The range of emotions that John Proctor goes through – it’s a long play, three and a half hours including interval – is vast and Richard Armitage nailed them all.
The play itself is disturbing, the acting throughout was great and Richard Armitage was amazing. What more can I say?
I didn’t know the play, although I had some idea of what it was about. I found myself really disliking some of the characters, but at the same time drawn into the play – a tribute to both playwriting and acting. It was set in the round and I was on one side of the stage in the third row. From that position I wanted to get up and do something and truly participate, which I believe was the intention.
I thought Anna Madeley, who played Elizabeth Proctor, was very good – having to tread the path between being an almost cold character, but whose real love for her husband became clear by the end of the play. And Natalie Gavin, playing Mary Warren, showed clearly how an individual’s horror at her actions and her intentions to do the right thing can become subsumed by the power of the group. I imagine that other play goers would pick out different actors, there was such a depth to the company.
And then Richard Armitage as John Proctor. I’ve written elsewhere of the fear that a film/television actor I like may not be as good on stage. I was fairly confident that he would be good – I’ve avoided reviews, but it’s impossible not to see the headlines – but he was excellent. If I wanted to confront some of the characters with what they were doing, I was even keener to comfort John Proctor when his wife was taken away. And I watched intently when he stripped off his shirt to have a wash – I suspect I was not alone in this! The range of emotions that John Proctor goes through – it’s a long play, three and a half hours including interval – is vast and Richard Armitage nailed them all.
The play itself is disturbing, the acting throughout was great and Richard Armitage was amazing. What more can I say?
