first night review: the crucible

The Crucible at Big Couch NOLA (photo by @masonwoodvideo)

​First Night Review: The Crucible @ Big Couch NOLA
Review by Dorian Hatchett

History (unfortunately) repeats itself.  Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953, as a repudiation of McCarthyism and the agenda of anti-communist sentiments sweeping across America in the wake of World War two.  

Like so many great artists, Miller employed his gift to work through personal grief around systemic injustice and social inequality, and The Crucible is no exception, using (again, unfortunately) historical themes of abuse of power and mass hysteria to create an allegory for the very current events of the day.  It goes without saying that these themes are just as relevant in today’s socio-political atmosphere as they were in the 1950s or the 1690s. The characters in his play are based on historical figures, blurring the lines between fact and fiction.  

In a horrifying twist of fate, or maybe precognition, Miller himself was forced to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Commission in 1956, and like his character John Proctor, was convicted of contempt of court for refusing to name names of co-conspirators in communist leanings  

Fat Squirrel is a New Orleans based production company that showcases a mix of classic works and emerging talent in a community-driven environment. New Orleans has numerous small theatre companies, of course, but I walked out of the theatre not only wrestling all the heightened emotions of a beautifully acted drama, but with the thrill of discovery; a new favorite thing in my own backyard.  

It’s in its fourth season, and if this production is any indication of their quality, they are a company to watch going forward. I’ve seen high-budget productions in much larger cities that were not as successful with the delicate balance of strength and sorrow that this cast and company brought to this stage. The Big Couch Theatre is perfect for an intimate vibe and the intensity of the action on stage reaches all the way to the back row  

Watching this show was being transported. The conflict between good but flawed and pious in John Proctor (Johnathan Mares), the slow terror of awakening for Reverend Hale (Miles Hamauei) and the steadfast certainty of the Deputy Governor Danforth (Clint Johnson) that he was both right and right-next-to-god were simultaneously thrillingly evil and heart wrenching.

While the entire cast did an incredible job, there were of course some personal standouts  that I would be remiss not to mention (in no particular order). Anja Avsharian is Elizabeth Proctor. She has experienced every monstrous facet in the world of a Puritan Woman, and chosen to continue. She is trapped in a society that will not hesitate to destroy her for the sins of those around her, and yet she chooses to counsel those she loves in the merits of finding peace within onesself.  

It should be noted that while the Puritans left England to “escape religious persecution” the implication that England was more rigid and terrible than their philosophies is backward.  They sought to create a society that was more unyielding and less progressive than they could find in England. The persecution that they looked to flee was being forced to be less ghastly than they wanted to be. (We’re back to the unfortunately repeating patterns of human history, here.) Anja handles the material with a maternal deftness that only a Puritan woman could convey. Life is entirely scripted, but not living it would be the greatest sin of all.  

Mary Pauley as the quintessential Rebecca Nurse. She has huge Maggie Smith energy; all quiet confidence and indisputable authority. This character is beloved enough to inspire riots on her behalf, and Ms. Pauley’s portrayal is perfect from her very first line; the weight of her age and experience and the purity of her faith is unafraid to speak plainly to the men who hold the actual power in her world.  

Emory Farber is Abigail WIlliams, the ringleader of the hysterical girls whose accusations the purity-driven patriarchy is all too happy to cater to as the witchery accusations spiral out of control. The entire chorus of frantic, unhinged girls is incredible not just vocally but also in their physicality, as the spread of mass hysteria transfers from one to another in a grotesque pantomime of idea-as-contagion.  

The Crucible runs August 4-14th at the Big Couch Theatre (1045 Desire Street) Click here for information and ticketing.