Steppenwolf's 'Crucible' a drama of its time and all time

Anyone familiar with "The Crucible" knows Arthur Miller's allegory -- a thinly veiled attack on McCarthyism set during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 -- as a cautionary tale about the tragedy that occurs when fear and suspicion overrule reason.

But watching Steppenwolf Theatre's stimulating revival infused with a palpable sense of fear, I was struck by the disenfranchised (poor, powerless young women) expressing their anger and frustration by instilling fear in their community, and how powerfully that resonates in a post-Sept. 11 world.

A small group of zealots inflicting terror; the panic and scapegoating that results; leaders who insist those not with us are against us; the profit that comes from exploiting public anxiety -- the scenarios Miller dramatizes are as familiar as today's headlines. That's what makes Miller's drama, so very much of its time, timeless.

The play centers around a group of young girls charged with practicing witchcraft. To escape punishment, the girls, led by Abigail (Kelly O'Sullivan), a calculating young woman with an angel's face and a demon's fury, accuse fellow citizens of conspiring with the devil. Caught up in the resulting hysteria is John Proctor, played by the excellent James Vincent Meredith, one of several black actors in this color-blind production, playing the role with a combination of arrogance and shame. Proctor's affair with Abigail prompted his wife, Elizabeth (Sally Murphy, who reveals the warmth in the stoic's soul), to dismiss the girl, who later exacts revenge by leveling charges at her former mistress.

Presiding over the subsequent trials is Deputy Governor Danforth (the latest in a series of noteworthy performances from Francis Guinan this year). He's assisted by the resentful Reverend Parris (Ian Barford), a man more concerned with his position than the welfare of his flock, and the reasonable Reverend Hale (an earnest Tim Hopper), who's caught in a situation where reason no longer applies.

Rounding out the cast is the funny, feisty Maury Cooper as the litigious but noble Giles Corey; Alana Arenas in another impressive turn as Mary Warren, a girl of conscience who ultimately succumbs to peer pressure; Ora Jones as Tituba, the slave who unwittingly spins the first strand in the web of lies; and Mary Siebel as the pious, unflappable Rebecca Nurse.

Anna D. Shapiro's exceptionally well-done revival -- the inaugural production in its season-long examination of what it means to be an American -- reflects the strong acting and assured direction for which Steppenwolf is known. It's not a revelation, but a confirmation, which is all this timeless tale needs.

"The Crucible"

3 1/2 stars out of four

Location: Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago

Times: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; through Nov. 11

Running Time: About 2 hours, 45 minutes

Tickets: $20-$68

Box office: (312) 335-1650 or www.steppenwolf.org

Rating: For teens and older