Ariana Wehr as Abigail Williams, Frederick Ballentine as Reverend Samuel Parris and Mary Beth Nelson as Betty Parris in the Glimmerglass Festival's production of Robert Ward's The Crucible. The show was this season's standout production, writes William Littler. Not that the Glimmerglass Festival is devoted exclusively to the world of short tenors and screaming sopranos. Yes, Sweeney Todd seems to be enjoying a high profile this summer, with major productions at both Glimmerglass and the Shaw Festival. But as John DeMain, the splendid conductor of the Glimmerglass production, reminded his audience in a pre-performance talk, Sondheim regarded the tale of “the demon barber of Fleet Street” as “a horror musical.” He wanted to scare us.

Source: thestar August 27, 2016 09:00 UTC