One of the most revered Arthur Miller plays, The Crucible still impresses audiences during its run at Theater Tuscaloosa. With abstract and versatile scenery, the play is set in a small town in Massachusetts. Director Michael Carr chose to keep all language and costuming in accordance with the early 19th century. All costumes conformed to the time period, and appeared very authentic. The Putnam couple, married characters, have matching costumes! Audiences easily get lost in the confusion of the action, and forget the characters are anything less than small-town, religious, Puritans due to the extensive collaboration of actor and character. From the action and dialogue packed beginning, including the opening music and sound montage of the entire production, audience members direct all attention to the play. The montage is like an overture of the play, and is one of the most innovative aspects of Carr’s production.
           The only drawback to this production is the choppy, mismatched lighting. The set, lit with bright reds for heightened tension, would all of a sudden flip to black with a spotlight on the speaking character. Changing the lighting drastically without transitioning removes audience members from the action, and causes them to focus on the lighting. Also, the lighting did not always match the time of day. During a night scene, there were lights of yellows and oranges outside. This confuses audiences because nights should be conveyed through darker colors, and mornings should be conveyed thorough lighter colors. Lighting is at its best when it is not noticed, unlike in this production. Theater Tuscaloosa’s production of The Crucible is innovative and enlightening, and the best version of the performance I have ever seen!