The Crucible NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (843)
See it if You enjoy great literature and want to be riveted to the stage. I loved Ivan Van Hove's interpretation.
Don't see it if You prefer a lighter subject, or a more cautious director.
See it if you love a great show
Don't see it if if intense situations are not your thing.
See it if the modern staging of an epic play underscores its relevance in current politics. Great acting by all.
Don't see it if you love current political climate.
See it if you love shows with incredible staging and acting and with a story that's relevant for any time. This show is brilliant.
Don't see it if you are not interested in a social commentary about false accusations and pretense and the ways in which the judicial system may handle that
See it if Wow wow wow. Great acting, direction and movement (Steven Hodgett again). Tension and paranoia created with sound. I was spellbound.
Don't see it if You can't sit still for three hours.
See it if you want to witness powerful performances and a new take on a classic
Don't see it if you're only ok with seeing this story as a period piece
See it if You like classic plays re-told in modern dress. If you can let your imagination go with the flow. If you like the story of the Sakem Witches
Don't see it if Dark gloomy sets and atmosphere put you to sleep. Or if you don't like "talky" plays.
See it if Compelling allegory that still rings true. Ben Whishaw is brilliant as is the entire cast
Don't see it if You don't like to think.
Critic Reviews (49)
"A perfect storm of didacticism...There's even a constantly rumbling musical soundscape beneath the action that tells us how we're supposed to feel at any given moment, just in case the throbbing lights, choking smoke, and screeching actors leave even the tiniest shred of doubt...These are van Hove's typical games, and they don't connect with the text any more here than they usually do...Even actors this good get lost easily amid van Hove's machinations."
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"Staging the play in a modern dress production, van Hove has brought the contemporary relevance of this parable of the Salem Witch Trials to the forefront and many will be more impressed with this
production than his groundbreaking ‘A View from the Bridge’. With a terrific
ensemble cast, this production of 'The Crucible' will make you feel as if you have
never seen it before even if you think you know it very well.”
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"This is the best, most riveting version of the play I've seen...This just-as-long version is consistently forceful and lightning fast...The entire 38-strong cast vividly give life to their characters...However, van Hove and designer Versweyveld once again give in to their occasional lapse into theatrical overkill...That said, these are minor complaints in the light of a thoroughly satisfying new look at an enduringly absorbing and provocative play."
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"The actors' interactions with one another, despite the fact that all of them give very fine performances, appear choreographed rather than organic...Aided by the unrelenting score that serves the dual functions of driving the audience batty and masking much of the dialog, this production nearly sucks the wind out of our collective sails...This production, for all the sound and fury spread about the stage and flying in through the windows, ends up signifying nothing."
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"I won’t say a word about Ivo van Hove’s dramatic flair, but it’s very apparent he wanted to excite us visually and dramatically. Many may say it is too much, but I think it works here, once again. His direction and creative storytelling kept me thoroughly engaged and as frustrated as Miller expertly intended...This powerful and superlative cast make an impressive argument, and van Hove’s theatrical flair and intense direction drive this idea home."
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"You either appreciate van Hove's daring choices or find them a bit self-important. I confess I am somewhere in the middle...The director’s interpretation manages to make the experience simultaneously historic and resonant...What does work here are the performances...The direction seems aimless at times, particularly in the second act...This is not lively theatre for the restless attention span. But those who remain and commit can hear a pin drop for most of the two hours and 50 minutes."
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"I directed a production of 'The Crucible' thirty years ago and have seen several since, but van Hove’s, despite its wildly mixed reviews, and some questionable choices, is the most powerful, riveting, and provocative of them all...The magnetic pull of van Hove’s 'The Crucible' is so strong, even at two hours and forty-five minutes, and its universal message so piercing, that such directorial slip-ups can be forgiven. Clearly, Arthur Miller’s play has withstood the crucible of time."
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"Director Ivo van Hove’s eerie, often enigmatic but periodically powerful Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s most frequently produced play...boasts a strong cast of stars and...a live wolf...The production dabbles in the supernatural...As bewitching as these theatrical effects can be, they wind up distracting if not detracting from Miller’s text...Moving and powerful performances compete with distracting horror movie touches in Ivo van Hove’s production."
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