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The Crucible
- Narrated by: Stacy Keach, Richard Dreyfuss, Ed Begley Jr., Hector Elizondo, full cast
- Length: 1 hr and 58 mins
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Summary
In the rigid theocracy of Salem, Massachusetts, rumors that women are practicing witchcraft galvanize the town. In a searing portrait of a community engulfed by panic—with ruthless prosecutors, and neighbors eager to testify against neighbor—The Crucible famously mirrors the anti-Communist hysteria that held the United States in its grip in the 1950’s. A Tony Award Winner for Best Play. A BBC and KCRW co-production.
Recorded at Culver Studios, Culver City in March 1988.
Directed by Martin Jenkins.
Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg
An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance starring:
Irene Aranga as Mercy Lewis
René Auberjonois as Deputy Governor Danforth
Ed Begley Jr. as Thomas Putnam
Georgia Brown as Rebecca Nurse
Jack Coleman as Marshal Herrick
Bud Cort as Ezekiel Cheever
Richard Dreyfuss as Reverend John Hale
Héctor Elizondo as Giles Corey
Judyann Elder as Tituba
Fionnula Flanagan as Elizabeth Proctor
Ann Hearne as Susanna Walcott
Carol Kane as Mary Warren
Stacey Keach as John Proctor
Anna Sophie Loewenberg as Betty Parris
Marian Mercer as Mrs. Ann Putnam
Franklyn Seales as Judge Hathorne
Madolyn Smith as Abigail Williams
Joe Spano as Francis Nurse
Michael York as Reverend Parris
What listeners say about The Crucible
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Overall
- Hazel Farrelly
- 29-04-11
Too fast
The actors gabbled so fast that I had trouble discerning one whispering voice from another, and don't listen to this as you fall asleep because you end up straining to find out what is being said in between screams and barking dogs! A real shame.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 30-03-21
bad sound quality
I found it sometimes hard to understand what was being said because of the bad sound quality and the whispering speech. Some of the sound effects such as a persistent dog barking are very annoying.
Not the best way to listen to a literary classic.
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2 people found this helpful
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- EGM
- 16-02-15
Food for thought
What made the experience of listening to The Crucible the most enjoyable?
A star-studded cast for a play that's become a classic in its own right. As an analysis of human nature and fanatism it remains thoroughly current.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Shamim de Brún
- 02-11-19
why are these women putting on such breathy voices
A lot of shouting and breathy acting that is way overdone. But the story is a classic.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Mrs Eds
- 13-09-19
Very good
Very good dramatisation, highly enjoyable and very close to the original script.
The sound effects are sometimes in excess and more often than not it sounds like the characters are whispering.
Nevertheless a very helpful edition.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Dave G
- 21-07-23
Awful sound quality spoils amazing story
Sound quality spoilt what was otherwise an excellent production. Some sections were extremely difficult to hear clearly and increasing volume only worsened the situation!
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- Linda Neave
- 02-07-23
Worth Listening To
I have heard this play often referred to so I wanted to listen to it myself especially in light of the politics and cancel culture of today. It was enlightening and I was really saddened to realise what little progress we have made since this nasty judgemental ignorant time in our history!
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- Anonymous User
- 15-01-23
Too fast, too cluttered, hard to follow along.
There was no reading of the Overture/Act 1, so difficult to follow. Too fast, even when slowed down.
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- Olivia Pollard
- 10-11-21
Back ground noise excessive
This would have been much better if the studio has got rid of all extraneous noise… you could understand it, just about, but it wasn’t clear and not up to an enjoyable standard….
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- Mary Gleeson
- 08-02-21
Excellent
Easy to follow , good speaking voices- easy on the ear. I was concerned they would have that irritating American drawl, they didn’t.
Production is very true to the book/play. Thank you
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- Michael G. Stoffel
- 07-05-12
Abridged Version
What made the experience of listening to The Crucible (Dramatized) the most enjoyable?
As an English teacher I enjoy listening to well performed plays...and so do my students. The actors perform admirably.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Crucible (Dramatized)?
Stacy Keach is magnificent as John Proctor. "My Name man, my name."
Any additional comments?
I wish there was a notation that this is an abridged version of the play.
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59 people found this helpful
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- Jamie Rymer
- 17-08-15
It is abridged.
Is there anything you would change about this book?
I bought the book to read along with the book and it does not follow the book. Extra lines are added and some are out of order. It is a good performance, but I wanted it to be the book.
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43 people found this helpful
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- Danielle Karre
- 21-09-15
Why is this labeled "unabridged"?
What disappointed you about The Crucible?
Depending on which audible/amazon screen you are on, this is labeled as "unabridged." However it is NOT! There are bits and pieces missing out of many lines from certain scenes. I was having my students read along to it on some days, but even with warning that it wasn't exact, it was so confusing to them that many would just stare into space while listening--which means that they miss scene directions, etc. Also, since I used my credits to "purchase" it, I apparently don't get a refund or option to "return"! Very disappointed that while it is a GREAT performance, they felt the need to slice up the lines and YET still call it unabridged!
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Crucible?
Great play overall.
What about the narrators’s performance did you like?
Great performance.
Any additional comments?
Amazon/audible needs to be more explicit and straight-forward when including information about abridged/unabridged versions!
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24 people found this helpful
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Overall

- Thomas S
- 08-10-06
Dramatic Recording
This is a wonderfully done recording with good actors. However, This recording is not complete and does not follow the script to the T, but that draw back is overshadowed by the actors. They bring the play to life the way it is meant to be. This recording even though incomplete is superbe.
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20 people found this helpful
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- WitchoftheWoods
- 08-01-17
Not the Complete Play
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
This performance is abridged. The description says it's narrated by Stacy Keach, but I'm 20 minutes into the performance and all the narrative passages are missing, as well as some of the dialogue.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
I got this recording so I could listen to actors perform while I read, since I find it difficult to experience a play by reading it. The only redeeming quality is that the performance is quite good and, of course, the story is excellent.
Any additional comments?
I guess I should have read some reviews before making this purchase. Disappointed I wasted a credit on it.
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19 people found this helpful
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- Baige DeWitt
- 26-11-19
Do not use this as a teaching tool
I need audiobook versions of texts to align with IEPs and for universal access to education. This does not align whatsoever to the Penguin classic version of the text, or any other version I could find.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Elli
- 22-11-19
Good performance but not completely accurate
This recording was not accurate. May parts were altered or left out. It made it difficult for my students to follow along in the text.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Sparrowhawk
- 15-10-13
Audio recording hard to listen to
The story is great, and the actors are great, BUT during the dramatization there are times when the actors are whispering or talking softly. Those times are really hard to understand what is being said. I ended up buying the book because I was frustrated with missing lines.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Karen
- 11-12-09
very fast!!!!
this is a very good dramatization! (you feel as though you are watching the play instead of listening to it) but it is very very fast and hard to follow along with the book at times because they skip portions.
also the story is very upseting to listen to, i felt on edge after i listened to this, but it's well written and gets the point accross.
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3 people found this helpful
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- kpolk
- 31-10-19
This is really bad.
This is not true to the play and leaves a bunch of information out. The sound quality is bad and distracting. Very disappointing.
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2 people found this helpful