If you follow my Instagram (and if not, why not? – tee hee), you’ll already know that last week hailed the start of my 30 things for 30 years project. And what a start! I can’t remember the last time I had such an enjoyable night out. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about you need to check out my post here, where I explain my master plan for celebrating the 30th anniversary of my birth.
I went with a friend to watch The Old Vic’s “The Crucible”. It was recorded live at The Old Vic and then screened in cinemas around the country. (There are still some other performances around and you can get it online as well, so if you like theatre I’d recommend you give it a look)
We started off the evening with coffee and cake in an adorable little café and then settled down to watch the play. I knew The Crucible a little, as we studied it in school, but it’s been a long time and I couldn’t remember a lot of things.
The performance itself was interesting. The acting was all amazing – you couldn’t really knock it. Richard Armitage played John Proctor and he was captivating. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him when he was on stage (and no, I’m not just talking about the scene where he took his shirt off, although obviously this was a highlight!)
The production itself was very dark, grim and a bit slow. The play opened with the cast walking around in a moody fashion, building tension I guess, and although I’ve read some reviews from people who loved it, I personally found it a little self-indulgent. It felt like ages before the first word was spoken and I felt like shouting “get on with it”.
I realised about halfway through that I was enjoying the play, and some of the individual performances (the judge and Hale were my favourites. Goody Proctor not so much), but not necessarily this specific production. The Crucible is really clever and silly and sinister all at the same time, and I found the staging and directing choices sometimes distracted me from the script.
Still, it was a great night out and sparked lots of debate on the way home. I always feel it’s really important to try lots of different kinds of theatre, as how you will know what you like if you’ve never experienced different things.
I hadn’t really eaten properly before the show so once I was home I ordered myself a cheeky pizza – at midnight – which is certainly not something I’d do on a regular basis, but hey – it’s my birthday. At least, the first one this year. I’ve got to wait until April for the next one. (Unless I manage to squeeze a surprise in before then)
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