This professional performance calls to question the integration of cultural accents into non native performances, and the decorum of an audience in 2026 - should everyone be allowed to see all theatre?
Few plays carry the weight and cultural reputation of The Crucible. Arthur Miller’s allegory of hysteria, power and moral courage has long demanded a sense of gravity from both performers and audiences alike. The Crucible at the Gaiety Theatre brought flocks of Dubliners through its doors not only to see this performance, but also to participate by rewriting Arthur Miller's work… into a comedy. Apparently, this is a heavily satirical piece that brought much laughter and discomfort to an immature but vocal audience. During scenes of high tension, the audience roared and giggled in mirth at anything and everything, even a line about a cow wandering the high road was apparently delivered so comically it brought bursts of laughter from several viewers. Perhaps this niche of bovine humour forwent my intellect, but I am left having to assume that this was entirely the wrong audience to consume this standard and genre of theatre.
While the industry does and always has relied on the masses to participate in viewership in order to keep the auditorium doors open, and plays upon the stage, it does make you question - where has decorum and etiquette gone? The disrespect toward the cast and other theatre goers was shocking, even reading the brief summary upon the Gaiety's website would have shone the light upon the ignorance that was within the audience. Why in 2026 is it acceptable to “oooohh!” when John Proctor calls Abigail a whore, or loudly and audibly exclaim “good jaysus!” at a tense and emotional scene happening upon stage? The public have begun to blur the boundaries between Gogglebox and the Gaiety. This play, being such a famous piece, had me in anticipation to see it in a professional setting for months. Unfortunately, I was left feeling as if I’d seen a matinee of a pantomime - the audience surrounding me was only mere minutes away from interjecting with “he's behind you!”
The performances seemed at times unaligned. Many lines were dropped, from numerous actors, and while this is always a potential of live theatre, it felt as if it was of a preview standard. One point I struggled to get past was the accents. Not only was there an integration of American and Irish accents, but there was also a fluctuation of dialects during line delivery, dialogue began in an American attempt, and ended in an Irish flourish. While so much theatre is beginning to adopt native accents for its performers over that of the original production, I can't help but admit I'm not always a fan. I viewed a performance in The Abbey Theatre last autumn, The Boy by Marina Carr, this was set in an ambiguous and liminal space, taking on the narratives that were originally set in ancient Thebes with a modern Irish twist.
While I accept that no one would be able to produce an Ancient Greek accent, and as it is premiered within Ireland it makes sense for its cast to have Irish accents, but what I cannot understand why a plot so heavily tied to its location, Salem in Massachusetts, is scattered with performers speaking as if they are in their west of Ireland local pub? If it was to be an adaptation, taking inspiration from The Crucible but changing its setting and its conventions to relocate within Ireland then it could be understandable that creative liberties were taken, but this just seemed like particular cast members were incapable.
Still, the cast delivered some amazing performances. In particular, Mary Warren played by Lara McDonnell was a true professional. Her characterisation of the role was something to see, her screams were truly harrowing and authentic. Andrew McCarthy, should perhaps have stayed longer than a weekend at Bernie's to avoid the audience witnessing his painful delivery of dialogue. He had no agency or power within his performance, it seemed unlikely that the townsfolk would be so governed by his ruling as Judge Danforth. Every line delivered seemed like a mental strain, repeating his gestures as if they would help jog his memory, he would methodically look down and then up as he remembered the script he was spouting.
Other characters were played by numerous performers including Niamh McCormack, an emotional Abigail, Rory Nolan who portrayed an empathetic regretful Reverend Hale, Adam Rothenberg whose brutish persona brought life to John Proctor, and Charlene McKenna who was a meek moral in her defeat as Elizabeth Proctor. Production value was apparent, the lighting was heavily effective, the stark rays emanated through the gaps in the wooden walls, casting chilling shadows upon these pilgrim interiors. The moving set adjusted around the characters, locking down into place these beamed ceilings seemed to box us and the characters within these rooms.