The Crucible

Arthur Miller’s classic 1953 play about the true Salem witch trials spoke truth to power and lit a blazing candle against the “Red Scare” rather than cursing its darkness. Sixty-five years later, it comes to the Olney stage. In Salem of 1692, unseen and unseeable evil stalks the town, threatening to destroy the lives and eternal souls of the God-fearing colonists. An ad hoc group of young girls are the only ones capable of unmasking the terror allegedly caused by hidden witches and devils’ consorts. Embraced by ecclesiastical and political powers, the girls’ reign of terror settles old scores, uncovers ugly truths, and leaves a trail of American carnage. The Crucible maintains its power today for its masterful language, its flawed heroes and its timeless reminder of what can happen when truth is bent to political convenience.