New Theatre, Cardiff
Tue 23-Sat 27 May
Imagine you live in a small town and are accused of a serious crime you didn’t commit. Even friends are pointing the finger at you and other innocents. More and more people begin to bay for your blood. You’re put on trial, found guilty and put to death. Then you wake up. Whew, it’s only a nightmare. Yet an incident like this did happen in the darkest days of American history. 25 people died – 19 were convicted of consorting with the devil and executed, one refused to enter a plea and was tortured to death and five others died in prison – in the 17th century Salem Witch Trials. The Crucible is playwright Arthur Miller’s most frequently produced work worldwide. He wrote this in response to the McCarthy Red Scare of the 1950s. From the Hudson to Hollywood, the US government was hunting down Communists. Miller wanted to protest but was afraid of being labelled a closet Commie, so he dramatized what happened in New England and partially fictionalized the story of vengeance, paranoia and hysteria where neighbour turned on neighbour. He himself was convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to name names.
Charlie Condou and Victoria Yeates star in this new production that brews morality, politics and religion and is as potent today as it was over 60 years ago.
Tickets: £13-£35. Info: 029 2087 8889 / www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk