Arthur Miller’s Tony Award-winning play, The Crucible, opened at Machester’s Opera House last night. This highly anticipated production relies heavily on the superb performances of its cast with a minimalistic stage, lighting and sound design. This stripped back production allows the audience to be fully submerged in the casts performances, and is testament to the time within which it is set, the Salem witch trials that took place in Massachusetts 1692.

Starring Coronation Street’s Charlie Condou and Call The Midwife’s Victoria Yeates, this classic play opted to use British accents in the production as opposed to American where the play is originally set. This allowed the audience to connect with the show on a more personal level and makes the production feel more relevant to a British audience.

Overall, the whole casts performances were excellent, however, the star performances of the night have to be Eoin Slattery, his portrayal of John Proctor was captivating and thoroughly enjoyable to watch, and Lucy Keirl for her portrayal of Abigail Williams who’s performance had me on the edge of my seat.

Coronation Street cast members, past and present, were out in force to support their ex cast member, Charlie Condou. With the likes of Tisha Merry, Sair Khan, Jimmi Harkishin, Kate Ford and Krissi Bohn gracing the red carpet for the event. Sair Khan, who plays Alya Nazir in the ITV1 Soap, tweeted her support to her ex co-star:

Break a leg @Charliecondou! Look forward to seeing you later for a catch up @TheCrucibleTour @PalaceAndOpera

— Sair Khan (@SairKhan) May 8, 2017

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The Director of the production, Douglas Rintoul, said:

The play is one of the greatest stories ever told – it’s precise, human, domestic, deeply moving, political and more importantly, an emotional rollercoaster of a ride… During our rehearsals in January, we found ourselves drawing increasing parallels between the play and the current political climate both in the UK and abroad. There’s a palpable sense that this 1950’s play is for now.

The production is running until Saturday 13th May 2017 at the Opera House, and you can purchase tickets now at: www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-crucible/opera-house-manchester/

You can also follow the production on Twitter at: @TheCrucibleTour