The Royal Shakespeare Company’s revival of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible has won the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Revival.
Dominic Cooke’s production, which ran at the Gielgud in the West End from last April, had transferred to London from Stratford. It starred Iain Glen, earlier nominated against eventual winner Rufus Sewell in the category of Best Actor, as John Proctor, the Salem farmer who provokes hysterical accusations of witchcraft against his wife after he breaks off an affair with the couple’s maid Abigail. The story, set amid the New England witch hunts of the 1690s, was written by Miller in order to draw parallels with the communist hysteria whipped up by Senator McCarthy in 1950s America.
After accepting the award on behalf of the production, Glen told officiallondontheatre "It’s a bit of a surprise, we didn’t think we’d do so well. Two out of four feels pretty damn good. The revival feels wonderful because that’s everyone involved. If I was to choose one of the awards that we were nominated for that would be the one that I’d pick because that involves everone."
Glen said his enjoyment of working on the production was "A big big part due to Dominic [Cooke]. He guided us all so well through rehearsals. And Thelma [Holt], she’s a remarkable lady. I really fear for the West End when she decides that she’s finally fought enough battles. She brings quality theatre into the West End."
In winning the award, The Crucible beat off competition from its fellow nominees, which were the revival of Michael Frayn’s Donkeys’ Years at the Comedy, the Howard Davies-directed A Moon For The Misbegotten at the Old Vic and the Kathleen Turner/Bill Irwin vehicle Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? at the Apollo.
This is the second Laurence Olivier Award for the show as earlier Cooke picked up Best Director.
CB
