The Crucible

…this International Festival premiere is everything you want it to be: dramatically cogent, compact and clear, starkly handsome (the costumes are by Emma Kingsbury, who shares credit for the set with the chief lighting designer David Finn), superbly scored by a composer, who eerily happens to be named Peter Salem, and beautifully danced. In short, with this bewitchingly good touring production Scottish Ballet has a hit on its hands.

Much atmosphere also comes from the pools of moody lighting (David Finn), but the most striking non-dance element is Peter Salem’s score – played live by the Scottish Ballet orchestra and reinforced with found sounds – a bird flapping (a raven one fancies), a tolling bell and some electronic oppressive darkness. It’s deeply layered and is very tightly integrated into the work – at times the sounds and stage action sync to millisecond accuracy which adds breath-taking punch to what you see. It’s no surprise to learn that Salem first did a soundtrack to a National Theatre version of The Crucible back in 1990 – he is steeped in the plot, and it shows/hears.