The version of The Crucible that opened last week at the Virginia Theater under the direction of Richard Eyre, former head of Britain’s Royal National Theater, comes as close to being definitive as any production of the play probably should. It has a swashbuckling, charismatic John Proctor (Liam Neeson), a nuanced and believable Elizabeth Proctor (Laura Linney), and an Abigail Williams (Angela Bettis) who plays the first scene with psychological realism and empathic dignity—something that, as far as I know, no actress has ever been encouraged to do.
It also has a set that manages to be ingenious and sophisticated as Continue reading