Shelton State’s presentation of The Crucible is bewitching – an aesthetic look into a historical period as well as a look at the politics of today. Although the play is set during the infamous Salem witch hunt, Arthur Miller wrote the play to describe the Senator McCarthy’s blacklisting. This play is filled with thematic warnings even for today’s generation, and because of the enchanting lighting, set design and acting, The Crucible was able to translate the tribulations of persecution and sacrifice to the audience.
            The Crucible had the most artistic and dramatic design of any university play that I have seen. Lighting designer Erin C. Hisey and set designer Rebecca Browne have a genius for their craft, though both designers need more coordination. From the first colorful backdrop to the final blood-filled sky, the lighting impacted the moods of the play. As vengeance and zealous passion reaches its peak in the play, the set was draped in thick, deep red, enhancing the feelings of revenge. Also, by using the leaf pattern during the woods scene between John Proctor and Abigail Williams, the lighting single-handedly defined the setting and illustrated the concealed relationship. By defining the thematic elements and setting of the play, the lighting went above and beyond the norm and enchanted audience members.
            I also felt the set made a nice contribution to the play. With arches that reached the heavens, the set reminded the audience of the lofty personas of the townspeople. The tiered set, although minimalist and realistic, also emphasized the conflicts between characters and classes. I loved the changing of the window frame as well. Although the main parts of the stage were stationary, the small aspect of the changing window transformed the entire set.
            The actors and actresses of The Crucible were also bewitching, especially lead actor Eric Curtis. Curtis’s loud, bellowing voice translated the essence of masculinity and power, but yet he was still able to portray a man of soul and morals. This deep-voiced actor stole the hearts of the audience and captured the true inner torment that comes with making moral decisions. With the heart of a lion but the temper of a giant, Curtis was able to bring the tragic but uplifting character of John Proctor to life. Actress Kaylor Otwell also played her one-dimensional character with depth. Every emotion from jealousy to pure love were expressed with genuine passion and feeling.  Lindsay Allen’s anger seared my skin and made me want to cry “Witch!” as well. She made the unimaginable character of Abigail Williams seem personal, which helped me understand her better. Lindsay is only in high school, which means this young actress will continue to flourish in the future. Overall, the cast was outstanding and well picked for their roles.
             Yet, these fantastic elements in the play fell short overall because of the lack of a cohesive direction. More could have been done to coordinate the elements of the play. For example, the costume colors were distorted by the bold colors in the light, and if the director had made these two groups work together more, the play would have been more solid.  Overall more direction was needed to make this an outstanding play, but each individual element of the play was exceptional and devilishly delightful.