When putting on a production of a show such as The Crucible, whose storyline is very well known and is read very commonly as a part of American literature, the production company should be looking to take a relatively familiar work and add something to it which will lead the audience to remember that specific rendition.  Theatre Tuscaloosa in most ways failed to do this for me with its interpretation.  With typical lighting and stage choices, and a cast which failed to deliver any true stand-out performances, this version left me with nothing about The Crucible that I didn’t already have coming into the theatre.
            Despite doing a good job of capturing the emotional high-points of the performance, the acting between crucial intervals in the story did a bad job of stringing the play together.  Eric Curtis playing the lead role of John Proctor appeared an excellent choice for the role, and any time that he was called upon for a significant and powerful contribution he delivered relatively well.  However, he was an excellent example of how between these moments the acting seemed stale and somewhat forced.  Despite having no truly powerful standouts, Lindsay Allen captured the false innocence of Abigail Williams better than any of the other actors fell into their roles and didn’t lack in quite the same way as the rest of the cast.
            The high point of the play for me was the bold choice of strongly integrating Cynthia Williams’ original music to the play.  The sound throughout was excellent, and was definitely the most original aspect of the production.  Her music added to the eerie nature of events by using samples of voices and sounds from the play blended with the classic tones of chorus and string-infused keyboard music.  The other technical aspects of the play were less impressive, as the set design came off to me as over the top with huge crosses creating the pillars of the buildings the characters inhabited.  The lighting put interesting effects on the story, but the soft tones contrasted with the darker themes of the play.
            Overall, this was a fair production of a play which calls for new and creative interpretations to become fresh in the mind of the viewer.  Having seen and read this play on various occasions beforehand, I found myself mostly unimpressed with the decisions the production team made.  I only recommend seeing Theatre Tuscaloosa’s rendition of The Crucible if you have never encountered the work before, for it accurately relays the narrative.  However, if you have seen this play in the past and wish to see it again, I recommend that you wait for a more creative interpretation of the play to come along.