Sometimes I think we don’t know how lucky we are in Lichfield. For those of us interested in the arts there’s an awful lot going on for a city of its size. We especially have a wealth of drama productions, some by visiting professionals but many more instigated by church groups, schools, village associations, and groups of friends.
There are new plays, revivals, pantomimes, the Mysteries, Intimate Theatre’s little gems, Comic Relapse and Festival Fringe events – the list goes on and on. The jewel in the crown however must be the Lichfield Players who for decades now have kept the spirit of serious drama alive in their high quality productions, sometimes against great odds.
The term “amateur” has associations in some minds with inept enthusiasts murdering obscure works with more energy than taste. In my experience The Players instead have offered consistently high quality work covering a wide range of world drama. With their latest production, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, they’ve reached a peak many professional companies struggle to attain. This is a reflection not only of the Player’s commitment to theatre, but of a genuine love for and faithfulness to the work itself.
The Crucible was written in America in the early 1950s at the height of the McCarthy trials that tried to ferret out high-profile communist sympathisers. Yet instead of seeming dated Miller’s masterwork seems even more potent sixty years on. Slyly setting his tale in the deeply religious New England of 1692, the playwright was able to discuss contemporary events without ostensibly referring to them. But his tale of the terrible effects of ignorance, credulity, malicious gossip and rampant self-seeking in a small, narrow-minded community is universal and stands as a terrible warning that any orthodoxy may oppress.
Even in this accomplished cast some performances stand out. A strong performance by Eve Fehilly as the disruptive Abigail Williams helped make the cruel unfolding of this drama seem utterly logical and convincing. Pauline Fowler gave the performance of a lifetime as Rebecca Nurse, the genuinely good grandmother condemned by her moral inferiors. Don Harris as Giles Corey whose thoughtless remarks condemn his own wife brilliantly expressed the resulting bitter self-knowledge.
Hannah Freeman as Elizabeth Proctor perfectly caught the dilemma of a wife for whom love at each turn involves an ugly moral choice. Relative newcomer Lydia Clements was a revelation as her maidservant Mary Warren – I look forward to seeing any of her performances in the future.
In the courtroom scene Stephen Brunton gave a commanding performance that grew in power as the magisterial outsider Deputy Governor Danforth whose instinct for justice is blinkered by his fatal adherence to the black and white certainties of the law.
I’ve seen this play several times and observed that directors find it hard to marshal the mechanics of the last act convincingly. But in the intimacy of the Garrick Studio David Stonehouse harnesses the power of emotion generated by these fine actors into an endgame which held me totally in thrall. The nobility of John Proctor’s heroic sacrifice for truth in Chris Stanley’s brilliant portrayal produced an unforgettable moment in the Player’s history. This is totally truthful acting of a rare order.
The production runs at the Garrick Studio until November 5. Tickets from the box office on 01543 412121 or go online at www.lichfieldgarrick.com.
