The Crucible by Scottish Ballet @ Edinburgh Playhouse

Helen Pickett’s adaptation of Arthur Miller’s classic play for the 50th anniversary of Scottish Ballet is an arresting and unsettling triumph. Despite the scale of the Playhouse stage, the staging and lighting create an intimate, claustrophobic atmosphere from the start, foreshadowing the darkness ahead and drawing the audience into the tight-knit community of Salem.

Pickett’s choreography creates nuanced personality traits for the principal characters, brought to life by the dancers; Constance Devernay evoking Abigail’s manipulative adolescence with flexibility and energy, Nicholas Shoesmith and Araminta Wraith portraying the love between John and Elizabeth Proctor. In place of Miller’s dialogue are individual movements, phrases and characteristics for each dancer, propelling the narrative.

The contrast in movement between the solemnity of the Church scenes and the frantic moments of fear and accusation evoke the breakdown of a tight-knit community into a hysterical mob, turning on each other. Sudden changes in the music are mirrored by jagged, chaotic movements, in stark contrast to the synchronised, symbolic choreography of worship. Using dance to bring to the fore the underlying tensions in the community seems as effective as dialogue.

The imposing set and innovative lighting cast sinister shadows on the dancers and feed the sense of fear of the supernatural within the community.

Peter Salem’s score ingeniously intertwines solemn, liturgical sounds with rich melodies and discordant electronic passages, bringing to life the community’s fear of the supernatural, creating an other-worldliness. The low strings and percussion build unease and tension, then seamlessly evolve into rich, melodic accompaniments to the Proctor’s pas de deux. The incorporation of sound effects throughout, from familiar church and courtroom sounds to whispers, screams and bird calls, mirrors the fear of the encroachment of the supernatural into the community of Salem and the distrust among its population.

Pickett’s slick adaptation of The Crucible has an electric energy which makes it a must-see. From the intricate choreography to the mesmerising score and staging, Scottish Ballet take a classic story and make it their own.