Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Happiness
Happy Independence Day!
But one thing that never changed what was that document was all about: three inalienable rights.
Life.
Liberty.
The pursuit of Happiness.
Although the Declaration of Independence came several years before the
U.S. Constitution and its subsequent
Bill of Rights, that cherished parchment paved the way for the freedoms contained in the
First Amendment that every American should hold dear, yet too often takes for granted: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom to peaceably assemble.
Thanks to those freedoms and our inalienable rights, live theatre remains a vibrant force within our culture. With the dialogue it fosters, our society is rich. Where else, but America, would our founders enshrine the notion of
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness?
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Every day, we must work hard to protect our freedoms.
Thankfully, the arts serve as a strong bulwark in our line of defense in protecting our freedoms. We may not always agree with the messages art conveys, but the inherent beauty within freedom of expression is that it can and often does challenge us. I shudder to think what our nation would be like if we were all required to think the same thing or only avail ourselves of government-approved press, literature, theatre, movies and television.
The arts do more than just entertain, they propel us further as a people.
Contributions from the arts and the dialogue they inspire over what it means to be an American make me extraordinarily proud to be one. I believe that the performing arts can and will continue to inspire, but only if we continue to steadfastly ensure it is allowed to do so freely.
Happy birthday, America!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.
Labels: Freedom of Association, Freedom of Expression, Freedom Of Speech, Independence Day, Special Messages, Thomas Jefferson
The Crucible (The SOB Review) - Downstairs Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago, IL*** (out of ****)"Are you or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?"
Those thirteen unfortunate words, first uttered sixty years ago in 1947 by Congressman
J. Parnell Thomas -- chair of the House Un-American Activities Committee (which got its start in 1938) -- helped stoke the fire for one of the 20th Century's worst witch hunts in the United States. A rabid ultra-right wing Republican from New Jersey, Thomas launched the intensive investigation into who in Hollywood had any ties to the Communist Party, ultimately resulting in widespread blacklisting. Speaking out was unthinkable.
Three years later, a junior senator from Wisconsin named
Joseph McCarthy announced that he had the names of 205 individuals within the U.S. Department of State who were "known" members of the American Communist Party. Of course, those numbers kept changing, but no matter. Aided by a young
Roy Cohn, he exhibited an uncanny knack for whipping the American people into hysteria that their government had been infiltrated by Communists sympathetic to the Soviet Union. Out of the burgeoning Cold War,
McCarthyism was born.
The reckless Tailgunner Joe was out to make a name for himself while vilifying others. His crusade culminated in the infamous 1954
Army-McCarthy Hearings, during which
Joseph Welch, chief counsel for the U.S. Army finally erupted during questioning, "Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"
Since the Army-McCarthy Hearings were televised, Americans had one of their first unique opportunities to see their leaders exposed for what they were. Support for McCarthy rapidly dissipated, and by the end of the year,
he was censured by the Senate.
Before McCarthy's last act of desperation played out, three valiant acts made their
1953 debut on Broadway in
The Crucible --
Arthur Miller's classic, allegorical tale of how easily otherwise rational individuals in colonial Salem, Massachusetts would blindly accept a charlatan's testimony about practicing witchcraft. To characterize Miller's mid-century timing as brave would be an incredible understatement, but he certainly contributed to the national conversation in a profound and consequential way.
Now, as realized through
Anna D. Shapiro's fiery, "color-blind" casted production at Chicago's Steppenwolf, it's hard not to find the haunting recreation of the actual 1690s Salem witch hunts disturbing. Yet it's the discovery of layer after layer of allegories abounding that makes this morality play unusually fresh and modern.
Certainly first and foremost is the parallel that Miller intended with the hunt for Communists under every rock. But with the ruggedly righteous
James Vincent Meredith (above photo) portraying protagonist John Proctor, his subsequent lynching makes it hard not to wonder whether his casting wasn't really a deliberate decision on the part of Shapiro after all. And while the last week's headlines could not have been foreseen, the
hateful images out of Jena, Louisiana of hanging nooses made the parallels to today even more chilling.
As if that weren't all,
The Crucible's unelected official Deputy Governor John Danforth (a brilliantly subtle performance by
Francis Guinan) blithely states, "But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there is no road between." Suddenly, as if the other modern allegories weren't enough, Miller's words of moral absolutes effectively come back to bite a certain commander-in-chief, making this about as contemporary production as one could expect.
Overall, the cast is terrific. Special props must be given to
Alana Arenas (in the photo above) as the conflicted Susanna Wolcott,
Mary Seibel as stoic Rebecca Nurse and
Maury Cooper, who provides some of the performance's most welcome comic relief as Giles Corey.
If I have one quibble, and it's not insubstantial, it would be on how the supposed demons of the young would-be witches are manifested. With heartwrenching screams, essential dialogue is often obscured. To be quite frank, I strained to hear much of what was being said, a difficulty I had not previously experienced at this theatre.
Yet, Shapiro's fierce, take no prisoners mix in
The Crucible makes for a completely enthralling evening of live theatre.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Labels: Arthur Miller, Chicago, Freedom of Association, Freedom Of Speech, George W. Bush, J. Parnell Thomas, Jana 6, Joseph McCarthy, Play, Revival, Steppenwolf, The Crucible, The SOB Review
