Kings Langley Players tackle The Crucible

4:23pm Friday 9th May 2008

Never known to baulk at a challenge, the ever enterprising Kings Langley Players (KLP) is getting ready to stage Arthur Miller's powerful play The Crucible at the Community Centre.

"It's an awesome project," admits director Jean Balmforth, "a serious drama with big moral themes and a large cast - it really tests the acting mettle of any company."

As a staunch liberal in 1950s' America, Miller risked imprisonment by defying the House Un-American Activities Committee and using The Crucible to condemn Senator Joseph McCarthy's persecution of left-wing thinkers. The play examines a matter of conscience - whether to stand up for what's right rather than do what's expedient. Miller is a consummate storyteller, and The Crucible plays like a thriller with its plot twists, reversals of fortune and conflicted characters.

Miller uses the historical events of the 1692 Salem witch trials to draw parallels with the McCarthy witch-hunts. John Proctor is a farmer of independent mind, shamed by his brief, adulterous relationship with Abigail Williams. She is the ringleader of a group of adolescent girls who've been caught dancing and dabbling in witchcraft - iniquitous crimes in this puritanical society. The panic-stricken girls divert severe punishment by resorting to hysterical fainting fits and then false accusations of witchcraft. A spiteful Abigail accuses John's innocent wife, Elizabeth. The scene is set for a devastating climax.

"I've always wanted to direct The Crucible," admits Jean, "ever since I acted in it in a minor role in a memorable production by Barry Deane nearly 30 years ago. I was mesmerised by the striking language, and the sheer emotional power of the characters and storyline.

"The themes of The Crucible are as relevant today as they were when Miller wrote his play: how difficult it is to resist oppression and stay true to yourself; the havoc wreaked by malicious rumour, malice and envy; the harm caused by punitive fundamentalism and superstition - and, on a personal level, how difficult it is to get a relationship back together when it has broken down. I passionately believe that serious theatre can be truly entertaining and that this is a story that theatre needs to tell each succeeding generation. If we do our job well in crafting this production, I defy anyone coming to see it not to be moved and enthralled."

The Crucible is on stage at Kings Langley Community Centre from Wednesday, May 14 to Saturday, May 17. Details: 07906 695959

Around the site