The Crucible presented by Theatre Coup D'etat

Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953, the dramatization of the Salem Witch trials served as a warning and allegory of McCarthyism and the scare of communism. Over 60 years later it seems that The Crucible's story is still very timely. As 2016 comes to an end "fake news" is a real threat, and the real news is filled with stories of court cases and mistrials. In The Crucible we see a story of the consequences of such things, as false accusations draw wide attention and rip a community apart.

I have seen The Crucible several times, and in the past I have never been that much of a fan, but throughout Theatre Coup D'etat's three hour performance (including a 15 minutes intermission), I was entirely engaged. Performed in the Sanctuary of a Lutheran Church, Theatre Coup D'etat used the interior of the church as their set, be it a farm house or a court house. This setting not only married itself well to the story, but also the bareness of it let the story, the drama and superior performances shine through.

The cast all donned time specific costumes designed by A. Emily Heaney as they gave very raw and convincing performances. The cast was lead by James Napoleon Stone as John Proctor, Jamie White Jachimiec as Elizabeth Proctor, Kaylyn Forkey as Abigail Williams and Lauren Diesch as Mary Warren. I saw Diesch earlier this year in Theatre Coup D'etat's Antigone, and it seems to me that the Twin Cities has a promising actress to keep an eye on.

The Crucible as presented by Theatre Coup D'etat is a gripping story of the past that reflects on the truths of our current times. It is playing Fridays thru Mondays until December 19th at Zion Lutheran Church in Saint Paul. I attended the performance solo, but if you go I highly recommend you bring a friend, this is the kind of performance you want to be able to talk about with someone afterwards.

Thank you to Theatre Coup D'etat for inviting me to this production.