Review of 'The Crucible'

I was persuaded, at rather short notice, to attend the final night's performance of 'The Crucible' at the Senior School last week, and so I went somewhat hesitantly, along.

I am so glad that I did. The effective stage set, the sympathetic lighting and sound effects, and of course the superb acting and direction, made for a very polished and professional performance.

All of the cast of Upper Sixth students should be commended for their prowess on stage, and key scenes - the pompous speeches made by Reverend Parris, the deliberations of Judge Danforth and his colleagues, the teenage hysteria in the courtroom - were particularly well presented.

Lorna Eggleston's excellent portrayal of the conniving and manipulative Abigail Williams provided the perfect contrast to Rosie Watley's serene and empathetic presentation of Elizabeth Proctor.

Furthermore, Ross Skillbeck's performance as the simple and honest John Proctor contrasted superbly with the immovable and ill-informed arrogance of Reverend Parris and Judge Danforth, played convincingly well by Felix Auer and Katherine Brewster respectively.

I was very impressed by the quality of this production - to be left with such strong feelings of frustration, anger, hopelessness and disgust at the clear injustices that I had witnessed on stage only goes to prove how well these actors and actresses had performed their roles.