The Crucible

At once an allegory of the 1950s' anti-communist witch hunts and a spotlight on seventeenth-century witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, this play shows how ignorance and good intentions can interweave to destroy lives. The star-studded cast ratchets the tension to a disturbing level as the town disintegrates. The young girls playing at witchcraft shriek in irregular counterpoint to the quiet, terrifying judgments rendered by Reverend Harris (Michael York), and doubt is ever more audible in the voice of Reverend Hale (Richard Dreyfuss). Most moving is Stacy Keach as John Proctor, who fights to salvage some good from the trials that destroy Salem. G.T.B. 2002 Audie Finalist (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

This excellent recording reissues the 1972 performance featuring Robert Foxworth as John Proctor and Pamela Payton-Wright as Abigail Williams. Miller's play about witch hunts in Salem, Massachusetts, explores empty piety, the nature of guilt and mass hysteria. Every scene works well in this dramatic--even emotionally wrenching--recording. Foxworth's voice conveys Proctor's mixed shame and dignity well. As Abby, Payton-Wright feigns innocence, flaunts self-pride, threatens and cajoles. Opinions vary as to whether Miller's play leans more closely to melodrama or to tragedy, but, in either case, it's served well by this fine performance. Fans of drama on audio will eagerly await further titles from Caedmon's archive. G.H. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine