Dennis Polkow

Even though Arthur Miller was a man so much of our time that he only died a couple of years ago, his most read and most performed play—"The Crucible"—has been interpreted for decades as an autobiographical allegory of the McCarthy-era Communist interrogations which Miller experienced firsthand by being blacklisted for refusing to name names of artistic colleagues with Communist "leanings." In a post-Soviet Union era where Communism is no longer even an imagined—let alone real—threat, that narrow interpretation that is still taught as standard English-class curriculum misses the larger point: that the powerful will always play off the weak, particularly when a climate of fear rules the day. But wedding "The Crucible" to a particular time and place that is long past keeps the work at a safe distance and a "classic" that can even become the subject of the City of Chicago’s "One Book, One Chicago." The current Steppenwolf production—which puts the work where it belongs, i.e., the stage rather than the page—serves as a powerful reminder of why the work resonates so deeply. Directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro, it features a first-class ensemble cast that more disturbingly portrays the non-stop engine of hysteria and panic that underlies the text more accurately than any production I have encountered. What is particularly moving about James Vincent Meredith’s portrayal of John Proctor is his total vulnerability in the face of his own weaknesses.

"The Crucible" runs at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 North Halsted, (312)335-1650, through November 11.

(2007-09-25)

Also by Dennis Polkow

Soundcheck
Having been accurately described in a New York Times feature last week as "equal parts: hungry indie band, efficient corporation and missionary initiative," the International Contemporary Ensemble is heading home to Chicago for ICEFest 2007, a new music marathon set to bring the music of living composers to bars, churches, colleges, art galleries and public spaces from Pilsen to the North Side
(2007-09-18)

Tip of the Week
Steppenwolf ensemble members Martha Lavey, John Mahoney (better known as the father on the long-running NBC TV series "Frasier") and Yasen Peyankov, along with Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Daniel J. Bryant, Penelope Walker and Josephine Lee and the Chicago Children’s Choir, present "I Sing America," directed by Jessica Thebus and produced by Steppenwolf’s newly appointed producer of cultural intersections, Sylvia Ewing
(2007-09-04)

Tip of the Week
Although it was enormously popular in its day and many of its songs have remained standards ever since ("I’ll See You Again," "Tara-Ra-Boom-De-Ay"), Noel Coward’s "Bitter Sweet" is so unlike anything else that he ever wrote that most of its rare revivals have been left to opera houses
(2007-08-21)

Tip of the Week
As part of the Jazz Dance World Congress nightly dance presentations open to the public will be held, taking advantage of such a vast gathering of jazz dancers and companies from Canada, Japan, Italy and Mexico as well as from Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York, Salt Lake City and Chicago
(2007-07-31)

Tip of the Week
(2007-07-24)

Kind of Blue
(2007-07-17)

Tip of the Week
(2007-07-10)

Tip of the Week
(2007-07-10)

Tip of the Week
(2007-06-22)

Tip of the Week
(2007-06-12)

Tip of the Week
(2007-06-05)

Tip of the Week
(2007-05-29)

about Newcitychicago | about Newcity magazine | advertising | privacy policy | FAQ | employment