Sophomore Paul McKinley, Senior Justin Cloyd and Junior Maggie Tibus performing in the Spring Arbor production of the Scarlet Letter.
Directed by alumna Breinne Reeder, this version of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic certainly had its own twist as it was updated from the 1600’s to the 1960’s. Although a time change such as this could make most plays lose their meaning, a tale as timeless as “The Scarlet Letter” endures the transition effortlessly, a success largely due to excellent directing.
A very unique aspect of this production was the hosting space. Held in the Prop Shop, it was shown in the style of a “thrust theater,” meaning the audience surrounded the acting area on three sides.
In an area as small as the Prop Shop this could have been very unfortunate, as flaws can be more apparent sometimes when an audience closely surrounds the actors. This could take the form of an actor dropping his face out of character when turning around or simply a costume best seen from one view. However, this delicate scenario had the opposite affect on “The Scarlet Letter.” Due to brilliant acting, the close proximity actually created a stunningly poignant performance.
Maggie Tibus gave a very sweet presentation of Hester Prynne as a vigorous yet contrite, ruined woman. Justin Cloyd played the guileless and tortured Arthur Dimmesdale and showed remarkable ability to portray his character’s deep emotion, whether the main speaker in a scene or simply standing in the background. Paul McKinley gave a beautifully ominous performance as Roger Chillingworth, whose passionate outburst was one of the most memorable scenes of the production.
All in all, The Scarlet Letter was a wonderful rendition of a classic with acting powerful enough to ensure a long remembrance.
