“The Crucible” by Arthur Miller has been told through text, film, and live theatre, I have recently seen the latter, performed at Palm Beach State College and directed by David A. Hyland and Rae Randall. “The Crucible” is based on the horrendous deeds done during the 1692 Salem witch trials where, “19 were hanged on Gallows Hill, a 71-year-old man was pressed to death with heavy stones, several people died in jail and nearly 200 people, overall, had been accused of practicing "the Devil 's magic" (Blumberg par 10). When the play started there was a man, Rev. Parris, praying over a still girl, his daughter Betty, laying on a bed. The story line begins quickly as his niece, Abigail, begins defending herself by insisting that she and the other
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The pain, torment, and self-loathing was evident on his face and in his voice when Abigail threw herself at him, the anger when his wife, Elizabeth, was accused of witchcraft, and the utter defeat when he could not stop her from being taken. In addition to the notable performers is Samantha Mayernik who plays Mary, John and Elizabeth Proctors new maid. Samantha Mayernik’s character is timid and easily manipulated, and she portrays those qualities marvelously. Mary is reluctant to disobey Abigail but is also afraid of what may happen if these games continue, but when she decides to tell the truth in court to stop the witch trials and is unsuccessful, the other girls begin to writhe and shout causing her own hysterics to begin and she rejoins them. The performance Samantha Mayernik put on was very convincing and better than I presumed a student performance would be. I would also like to note the scenery; the set designer made perfect use of what was given. Betty Parris’s room doubled as John Proctors house, simply by adding a table and benches and then dimming the lights on the side of the stage not in use. The set changes were done quickly and efficiently, I barely realized they were happening. The use of the screen to show Abigail and John Proctor in the woods was a very good use of time as when the screen was lifted it revealed the set had been changed to mirror a court
The pain, torment, and self-loathing was evident on his face and in his voice when Abigail threw herself at him, the anger when his wife, Elizabeth, was accused of witchcraft, and the utter defeat when he could not stop her from being taken. In addition to the notable performers is Samantha Mayernik who plays Mary, John and Elizabeth Proctors new maid. Samantha Mayernik’s character is timid and easily manipulated, and she portrays those qualities marvelously. Mary is reluctant to disobey Abigail but is also afraid of what may happen if these games continue, but when she decides to tell the truth in court to stop the witch trials and is unsuccessful, the other girls begin to writhe and shout causing her own hysterics to begin and she rejoins them. The performance Samantha Mayernik put on was very convincing and better than I presumed a student performance would be. I would also like to note the scenery; the set designer made perfect use of what was given. Betty Parris’s room doubled as John Proctors house, simply by adding a table and benches and then dimming the lights on the side of the stage not in use. The set changes were done quickly and efficiently, I barely realized they were happening. The use of the screen to show Abigail and John Proctor in the woods was a very good use of time as when the screen was lifted it revealed the set had been changed to mirror a court