Fri 8/30-Sat 9/14
When American playwright Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in the early 1950s (it debuted in 1953), he used the story of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 as an allegory for a contemporary witch hunt: the Senator Joe McCarthy-led hearings of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in Congress, which purported to be devoted to rooting out rampant Communism. He claimed both government and civic society were infested with “red,” despite the Communist Party USA’s by-then weakened status.
Scapegoating perceived political enemies with false accusations had never really died, and even today, we hear kneejerk charges of “Communist!” being lobbed at politicians and candidates on the left by those on the right, who probably couldn’t identity a “Communist” if their life depended on it. (The party’s presence today is so marginal as to be almost invisible.) The Crucible still has resonance today.
It’s not a typical production for them — their seasons tend to be filled with offbeat musicals — but Blank Canvas Theatre are 78th Street Studios will be presenting The Crucible. Go here for tickets.
blankcanvastheatre.com/the-crucible/
Cleveland, OH 44102