Photos Reviews

The Crucible

November 1978

by Arthur Miller, directed by Anne Bacon

Cast:

Reverend Parris - Gordon Halliday

Betty Parris - Susannah Butt

Tituba - Marie Berry

Abigail Williams - Angela Beney

Susanna Walcott - Jane Spree

Mrs. Ann Putnam - Mary Jones

Thomas Putnam - Robert Fynn

Mercy Lewis - Sally Black

Mary Warren - Fenella Gill

John Proctor - John Stuart

Giles Corey - Roy Wheeler

Rebecca Nurse - Miranda Leger

Reverend John Hale - Richard Ormond

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Elizabeth Proctor - Margaret Butt

Francis Nurse - John Spree

Ezekial Cheever - Tony Yates

Marshal Herrick - David Gill

Martha Corey - Janet Cummings

Judge Hathorne - Peter English

Deputy Governor Danforth - Philip Jones

Sarah Good - Miranda Leger

Girls - Rachel Browne & Stephanie Perkins

Production Team:

Producer - Anne Bacon

Stage Manager - Tony Blake

Stage Construction - Mike Trout & Barry Matthews

Lighting - Kevin Gardner

Visual Effects - Bob Clements & Bob Reed

Props - Janet Cummings

Prompt - Carol Pettit

Costume - Lyn Trout, Miranda Leger & John Spree

Make-up - Ian Bond

Photography & Printing - Don Badger

Front of House Managers - Rosemary & Bryan Stephenson

Reviews:

From Exmouth & East Devon Journal:

Also outstanding was Margaret Butt...

Topsham's Estuary Players gave a powerful performance of Arthur Miller's The Crucible at Matthew's Hall last week.

The play is extremely ambitious for the Players to attempt, but they brought it off beautifully.

It tells the story of the persecution of the witches of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, and provides the cast of 23 with some very tense material for it to get its teeth into.

And the tension was maintained right throughout the play-from the opening scene when the Rev. Parris, extremely well played. by Gordon Halliday, is agitating over his hexed daughter, Betty, to the finale when John Procter is dragged off to be hanged for failing to confess he was influenced by the devil.

It is difficult to single out individual characters from an excellent cast, but Richard Ormond as the Rev. John Hale fitted his part like a glove; Marie Berry gave an outstanding performance as Tituba, the black servant from Barbados; and Angela Beney came across brilliantly as the scheming Abigail, who had all the young girls in the village under her influence.

Humour

Also outstanding was Margaret Butt as the almost self-righteous Elizabeth Proctor, tragically widowed by the hanging of her husband.

Along with Marie Berry, Roy Wheeler, as Giles Corey, provided the occasional flash of humour in an otherwise tense and dramatic production which gripped the audience from beginning to end.

The village girls swayed by the evil Abigail provided some almost spine-chilling moments during the court scenes. Outstanding was Susannah Butt as Betty Parris, daughter of the local cleric.

Producer Anne Bacon must be congratulated on yet another thoroughly good evening's theatre.

- Reviewed by: M.E.

Photos:

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