Stirring music and drama in “The Crucible”
By Joseph Dalton
COOPERSTOWN — “We shall touch the bottom of this swamp,” sings Judge Danforth during Act Three of “The Crucible,” which opened at Glimmerglass on Saturday night. But given the enduring presence of Arthur Miller’s 1953 play about the Salem witch trials, it doesn’t seem that Americans have ever reached bottom and put to rest our obsession with pointing fingers and prosecuting the guilty among us.
Setting aside the political reading of the story (it is possible to set aside politics, right?), this 1961 operatic adaption is simply a brilliant evening of theater. Bernard Stambler’s libretto hews closely to the original four-act structure and Robert Ward’s music is powerful and unrelenting from the get-go.
Though the opening scene is at the bedside of a stricken girl, it’s crowded and stormy. Conductor Nicole Paiement bears down, and the orchestra delivers one wave of turbulence after another.
Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, as Elizabeth Proctor, has a sweeping scene in which she pledges devotion to her husband but also demands his faithfulness. As her voice leaps across the extremes of range and emotions, Barton remains solid as a rock. Baritone Brian Mulligan’s John Proctor is appropriately pent up, brave but flaw, and fully human. His performance holds steady even as his character becomes split open.
Tenor Jay Hunter Morris, this year’s artist in residence, plays Judge Danforth as a character role. Seemingly unconcerned with vocal niceties, he enunciates as much as he sings. The approach works on a couple of levels — making his character into something unctuous and unappealing while also allowing the shifting accusations and wobbly deliberations to dangle in the air of the theater.
Director Francesca Zambello, obviously mindful of the material’s inherent strength, never imposes any extra hijinks. Frequently she lets the performers just remain stationary objects onstage. And that works just fine. The plot’s fast moving recriminations and the orchestra’s constant surges are enough to keep up with.
The old world costumes by Jessica Jahn and subtle lighting by Mark McCullough combine to suggest the work of the Dutch masters. For most of the night, the set by Neil Patel is the interior of an aged frame house. With each successive act, tree limbs and other wooded growth make their way further into the picture. Taming the wild, keeping out the unpredictable forces of nature, it remains a constant battle.
Joseph Dalton is a freelance writer based in Troy.
***
Opera review
“The Crucible”
Music by Robert Ward
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Glimmerglass Festival, Cooperstown
Length: Two hours, 30 minutes; one intermission.
Continues: 8 more performances through August 27.
Tickets: $10-$115. Call (607) 547-2255.
More information: http://www.glimmerglass.org/
