The Crucible

First performed in 1952, The Crucible may reasonably be described as one of the profoundest plays of the post-war world - a classic of the modern stage. It was the first American play to be performed in the National Theatre.
The play's retelling of the story of the Salem witches had, at the time of its first production, a frightening revelance to the contemporary McCarthy hearings. Now that the immediate political message has faded, a more permanent dramatic force can be seen in Arthur Miller's drama.