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| Aeisha Reese (left) of Flint as Mary Warren, Malvina Mirowski of Sterling Heights as Betty Parris and Mackenzie Conn of Walled Lake as Abigail Williams perform in the Wayne State University Bonstelle Theatre production of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible." Photo by Patrick Pozezinski |
Lies and ruined lives: Bonstelle’s “The Crucible” mirrors modern media mudslinging
By SUE SUCHYTA
Wayne State University presents Arthur
Miller’s powerful 1953 Tony Award-winning play, “The Crucible” for two more
performances, at 8 p.m. Oct. 20 and 2 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Bonstelle Theatre,
4743 Cass Avenue in Detroit.
For
more information call the Bonstelle box office at (313) 577-2960 or go to
www.bonstelle.com.
The show, known as a drama about the
Salem witch trials and an allegory of McCarthyism and the Communist witch-hunts
of the 1950s, resonates eerily during the current presidential campaign. In each
scenario, opportunists blur the line between truth and falsehood unfettered by a
moral conscience.
Directed by Lavinia Hart, The
Bonstelle Company delivers a masterful piece of theatre that draws one in and
leaves its audience emotionally drained with its intensity and powerful
message. Self-serving lies destroy innocent lives, and paralyze a community with
fear in its deadly aftermath.
Anthony Karpinski’s set is stunning
and versatile. From a stark leafless tree dominating the wall upstage, grow
branches that resemble headless bodies running frantically in space but getting
nowhere. Rough-hewn wooden fencelike backdrops paired with platforms serve as
many different locations, transformed by splashes or absence of color created
by lighting designer Gabriel Rice.
Rice also creates both a blood red
sky and spooky jack-o-lantern lighting against the austere gray set, adding a
passionate contrast to a rigid, repressive society that eschewed indulgence.
Sound designer Mike Thomas sets the
mood before any dialogue is spoken with eerie rumbling techno-music and the
rustle of skirts amplified to sound like thunder before even the first line of
dialogue is uttered.
Once the words begin to flow,
though, they capture the audience with a cavalcade of lies spilling uncontrolled
out of the floodgates. Some lies begin out of jealousy; others are merely to
hide personal transgressions. However, in the rigid, judgmental society of 1692
Salem, words used to save ones’ life turn on others to condemn them to death.
Technical director Fred Florkowski helps makes the stage
magic come to life, while costume designer Donna Buckley clothed the cast in the era.
Mackenzie Conn of Walled Lake turns
in a riveting performance as Abigail Williams, the 17-year-old antagonist who,
spurned by John Proctor after an affair when she was a household servant,
accuses his wife Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft, hoping to see her hang so she
can win back John Proctor.
Young girls, caught in the woods
without alibis, start accusing others of witchcraft to explain their
transgressions. As the group feeds on
the power of their lies and hysteria builds in the community, fear encircles
the town, where they begin to kill those pleading innocent to the crime of
witchcraft.
Other outstanding performers include
Ivy Haralson of Belleville as Tituba, Michael Meike of Clinton Township as
Judge Danforth and Aeisha Reese of Flint as Mary Warren.
Others in the
strong cast include Jacqueline Fenton of Allen Park as Susanna Walcott, Daniel Finn of Armada as Ezekiel Cheever, Jordan Fritz of River Rouge as Giles Corey, Amber Gale of Detroit as Girl
1 and Robert J. Hammond of
Troy as Willard.
Shannon Hurst of Warren plays Girl 4, Sharayah Johnson
of Birch Run portrays Ann
Putnam, Sara Kline of Royal
Oak is Rebecca Nurse and Kelly Klopocinski of Sterling Heights
embodies the role of Elizabeth Proctor.
Other cast members include Alyssa Lucas of Garden City as Mercy Lewis, Colin Mallory of East Lansing as Reverend Parris, Jackson
McLaskey of Mt Clemens as John
Proctor and Matthew Miazgowicz of Dearborn as Thomas Putnam.
Yesmeen Mikhail of Wyandotte plays Sarah Good, with Malvina
Mirowski of Sterling Heights as Betty
Parris, Hope Morawa of Lincoln
Park as Girl 3, Bryauna Perkins of Chesterfield as Hopkins and Girl 2 and Aeisha Reese of
Flint as Mary Warren.
Laith Salim of Dearborn plays Francis Nurse, Stuart
Sturton of Dexter portrays Judge
Hathorne and Nicholas Yocum of
Royal Oak is Reverend Hale.
For tickets or more information, call (313)
577-2960 or go to www.bonstelle.com.
