PROVO — There’s something uniquely satisfying about watching theatre under the open sky. The start of summer is a time when the days are long, the evenings are mild, and live performance can feel just a little more magical. The turn of season is the opportune time for a new company — in this case Center Street Theatre, to put on a production of The Crucible. The show put on at the Castle Amphitheatre in Provo embraced that seasonal spirit with an ambitious and moody take on Arthur Miller’s iconic play. While the evening had its share of memorable performances and atmospheric strength, it also suffered from pacing issues and uneven execution that ultimately made the show feel longer and heavier than it needed to be.
It is also worth noting — this is both a late and an unorthodox review for me. Due to a family emergency I did something I have never previously done with a play. I left at intermission. The emergency is since resolved, and CST was kind enough to send me an archival copy of the second half of the show that I could watch. This review reflects what I saw in person for act 1 and what I observed through the recording for act 2.
The Castle Amphitheatre is a striking venue—an old stone structure nestled against the mountains, with enough historical gravitas to lend instant ambiance to any period piece. For The Crucible, a play steeped in paranoia, repression, and moral conflict, it was an ideal backdrop. The production’s design choices leaned into this naturally foreboding setting with simple but effective staging, muted period costumes, and a bare, almost ascetic aesthetic. Lydia Curtis did a fantastic job putting together well fitting costumes that told the visual story of the puritans exceptionally well. Opal Tolman found a collection of simple pieces that worked together in the outdoor space. There was a strong visual unity to the show, and its design team deserves credit for establishing mood from the moment audience members arrived.
However, that mood unfortunately turned into a weight that the production struggled to carry. The Crucible is not a short play, and this production did little to help that fact. Act 1 ran seventy-five minutes and act 2 ran nearly 90 minutes with a 20 minute intermission in between. A play of this mass needs momentum to carry it forward, and early on, the actors had many starts and stops. Some from missed lines, but many simply from pregnant pauses as each actor tried to make every line count. Considering the life-and-death stakes of the Salem witch trials, the tension should sizzle, but here it often simply simmered.
CST’s The Crucible Plays through May 17 | PC : Center Street Theatre
The direction by Charles Mosher appeared to emphasize high moralism, introspection and restraint, which worked well in some moments but fell flat in others. Strong vocal technique from the actors helped, but in some cases inner drive from the actors lacked momentum. Several of the townspeople and supporting roles blended together without enough distinctive characterization, and group scenes often lost clarity in the shuffle of bodies and voices.
That said, two performances stood out as especially successful. Isaac Dorton was an exceptional Reverend Hale. From the moment he arrived, the rest of the cast had a different contrast. Everyone seemed to take what he said as law, and his stage presence magnified each moment. Dorton’s understanding of the character’s sinister subtext made an exceptionally strong performance that elevated what have been dull moments in other productions of Miller’s classic text.
Seth Johnson as John Proctor | PC: Center Street Theatre
Likewise, Seth Johnson was a strong John Proctor. He was at times coarse and overbearing as the character dictates, but he had moments of tenderness with both his wife Elizabeth (Hannah McKinnon) and the devious Abigail Williams (McKenzie Blair). I was particularly taken by his forced confession at the end of the play. Their relationships were complex and challenging as Proctor deals with his immense guilt and tries to fix what puritanical minds often view as unfixable. However, Johnson needed at times to find more to play with between the extremes, especially in a play about exposing the gray scale in a black and white society.
Unfortunately, not all of the acting matched that level of clarity. Reverend Parris, a difficult and often unlikeable role to begin with, was played by Jaxton Romeo Brenner with an erratic energy that often tipped into caricature. His emotional outbursts lacked nuance, and instead of appearing like a man terrified for his status and legacy, he seemed simply unhinged. This performance pulled focus for the wrong reasons, muddying scenes that should have been tense with conflict and control. I’d love to have seen Brenner take more time to let his character build in frenzy rather than entering with a full head of steam and nowhere to build.
I was also distracted by sound cues at the ends of scenes that, while tone-setting were overly long and too loud. The soundscape needs to support instead of becoming an actor in these scenes, and instead, there were sound cues more than 5 minutes long at the high points of scenes. These cues, if broken up and given better timing could have elevated the production, and instead were an eclectic choice that distracted from some of the play’s most essential moments.
Still, there’s something noble in the effort. A new company, largely run but currently enrolled or recently graduated young professionals is a bear to take over. Tackling The Crucible is a gutsy choice for any program, and Center Street Theatre’s choice to explore this show gives merit to the company’s ambitions. Even when a production doesn’t fully gel, the experience of live theatre under the stars, surrounded by local talent, remains valuable. That’s especially true when the cast includes emerging actors still honing their craft.
For those who were able to attend, CST’s Crucible provided an earnest, if imperfect, start to the summer theatre season. With a bit more urgency in the pacing, some more ensemble texture across the board, and tighter control over tonal shifts, the production might have achieved the fire and fury that Miller’s script demands. As it was, it simmered—occasionally boiling over in strong moments, but too often cooling down when it needed to burn.
