Great Local Shows - Theatrical Reviews
| Title | The Crucible |
| Organization | Falcon's Eye Theatre |
| Date(s) of show | October 25 - November 10, 2013 |
| Reviewer | Dick Frantzreb |
| Review | For most experienced theater-goers – or even those
who were simply paying attention in high school English class – The
Crucible is familiar material. Accordingly, a new production is a
bit risky because it has to stand comparison with one’s previous
experiences of the play. I have been impressed with the quality of
acting and creativity in every Falcon’s Eye Theatre production I’ve
attended, and I was not disappointed in this one. In fact, it felt like
the best version of The Crucible that I’ve seen, an engaging
evening of quality drama. My first impression was of the set, simple but not spare. It and the set pieces that came along strengthened the sense of time and place. The same should be said of the costumes. And there were subtle enhancements via sound and lighting. I’ve seen offerings of The Crucible that came up short in these areas and left too much to the imagination. By contrast, this was a rich production. The great excellence of this show, though, was in the acting. The players' voices were clear and strong, and they handled the archaic language naturally and fluidly. I thought their pacing and interactions with each other were near perfect and transparent, and they opened up the tremendous dramatic potential in this Tony Award-winning play. What’s the best thing you can say about a performance like this? It makes you feel the passion, understand the conflicts on a gut level, and somehow believe that what’s unfolding in front of you is real. That was my experience. It was yet another high-quality production from Folsom Lake College’s Falcon’s Eye Theatre. |
