A performance of Arthur Miller's, The Crucible, written in 1953 during the McCarthy era in the US.

Aviva Burnstock playing Mary Warren, with Chris Pittard as John Proctor and Chris Forsey as Proctor's goodwife, Elizabeth.

There was some really passionate acting, most notably from Chris, and the play got good reviews from the audiences. Three lines used to trip us up in rehearsal though, and had us a bit toey on opening night.

Garth Wright only had one line to memorise, but legend has it that at least once he blurted out, 'The Guputy Devenor has arrived.'

We also had to keep a straight face whenever Chris delivered his stinging dismissal, 'A fart on Thomas Putnam'.

But the one that caused us no end of problems in rehearsal was when Andrew Pannell, playing Judge Thomas Danforth, would thunder in stentorian tones, 'Do you doubt my puberty?' The word Miller penned was 'probity', but we all preferred Andrew's version.

Leigh Svendsen, who played the spurned Abigail, just reminded me of another funny ad lib. When Chris said to Kit Durre (as Reverend Parris), 'I like not the smell of this authority', Kit was prone to reply plaintively, 'But I use a deodorant!'

 

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