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"Now hell and heaven grapple on our backs, and all our old pretense is stripped away ... we are only what we always were, but naked now. ... And the wind, God's icy wind, will blow!" John Proctor tells us at the end of the first act of the Grand Theatre's magnificent production of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible."

This single speech encapsulates not only the harsh polarities at the heart of this play — the conflict between good and evil, the battle between hysteria and order, the tension between hypocrisy and honesty, the distance between what we are and what we can become in our finest moments — but also the reason that we return to certain plays again and again. They tell us something almost primordial about the human condition, and a good production like this one says it in a unique way that feels both familiar and new.

Even if you don't know that Miller wrote the play in response to the Communist witch hunts of the McCarthy era, when those who were willing to condemn others stood in stark contrast to those who refused, "The Crucible" retains its power and poignancy. One reason is the way it counterpoints the fracturing of a rigid and repressive community into chaos against the personal story of a couple who move from misunderstanding and guilt to self-knowledge and forgiveness.

As Puritan Salem disintegrates around them, John and Elizabeth Proctor find themselves and the true meaning of love and acceptance. "I have made a bell of my honor," John Proctor says, and it rings just when hope seems gone. The play's darkest moment of tragedy ironically becomes its epiphany of transcendence.

This production turns on the incandescence of director Mark Fossen's stage pictures and the way the actors respond to them. Fossen minimizes the cavernous emptiness of the Grand's stage by limiting the action to specific areas or creating intimacy by using Spencer Brown's moody, multicolored lighting to set characters apart. This works especially well in the final scenes between the Rev. John Hale and Elizabeth and John and Elizabeth.

Keven Myhre's set with its shells of houses creates playing areas and simultaneously suggests the regimentation of the Puritan community. Alyssa Edlund's black-and-white, confining costumes become more relaxed in these final moments as their wearers get more in touch with their inner selves. Joe Killian's rich sound design bridges scenes with songs and hymns.

As John Proctor, David Hanson reveals the turmoil of a man moving from guilt and uncertainty to discover his inner voice of conscience. Cassandra Stokes-Wylie's Elizabeth makes a parallel journey from cold restraint to compassionate understanding. Their final scene together is a revelation.

Tyson Richard Baker's Hale moves touchingly from early confidence in goodness and justice to a sobering awareness of life's complexity and authority's limitations. Jonathan McBride's Parris is appropriately sniveling, self-righteous and self-serving. Max Robinson captures Judge Danforth's obsessive, arrogant narrow-mindedness, and Sheridan Underwood's Mary Warren throbs with the impulsive vacillations that make teenagers a trial. Sahara Hayes conveys Abigail's manipulative coquettishness, but the shrillness of her voice undermines her performance.

Sixty years after "The Crucible" was written, America still struggles with issues of mistrust and intolerance, fear and suspicion. Plays like this remind us to keep our eyes open; becoming blind to others can have disastrous consequences. —

Grand Theatre's 'The Crucible'

R Bottom line: The insightful performances and exquisitely composed stage pictures of the Grand's production of "The Crucible" inject vibrant new life into a timeless classic.

When • Reviewed March 10; continues Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. through March 24, with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturdays.

Where • The Grand Theatre on the South High campus of Salt Lake Community College at 1575 S. State St. in Salt Lake City.

Tickets • $10 to $24 with discounts for students, seniors, and groups. Call 801-957-3322 or visit http://www.the-grand.org for tickets or information.

Running time • Two hours and 45 minutes (including an intermission)