Infidelity. Illicit parties. Lies. The Crucible has been invoked more than once this week to decry critics of Boris Johnson. But this stellar performance of Arthur Miller’s classic play shows the parallels are not as claimed. Johnson is not John Proctor, who erred once but is a fundamentally honest man. Rather, he is the vindictive Abigail Williams, who manufactures the show trial that ends in misery. Director Lyndsey Turner focuses this production inwards, at a fractured marriage, faith and obsession. Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) made a striking West End debut as the manipulative Williams, but Brian Gleeson’s Proctor (Bad Sisters, Peaky Blinders) was the star. Es Devlin’s masterful set design gets a special mention, aiding the ensemble cast as it conveys the ease with which a lie can be made fact with impunity. A must-watch that reminds you what a real witch hunt looks like.
The Crucible is at the Gielgud Theatre, London, until 2 September
Photograph Brinkhoff Moegenburg
