The Salem witch trials have long been the subject of novels, plays, and films -- Elizabeth Gaskell's novella "Lois the Witch" and Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" are just two examples -- and this complex episode of American history will surely continue to inspire artists and writers for years to come.  It will, however, be very difficult to ever find a more original and inventive treatment of the subject than Adriano Shaplin’s “Sarah Flood in Salem Mass” now at The Flea Theatre.   Imagine "The Scarlet Letter", Moon Unit Zappa, and Stanley Kubrick’s "2001: A Space Odyssey" all rolled up in one.  It is a very, very, very unusual version of the events that transpired in Salem in the winter of 1692.  To call it radical is an understatement.

This is a wonderful production that is bound to please every theatre-goer.  The members of the very large cast, which includes some of New York City’s most talented and versatile actors and crew working in theatre today, deliver powerful performances and, from the moment the audience enters the theatre, engage them on a very intimate level.  The costumes, sets, music, special effects, and lighting all work together with amazing precision to create a very meaningful piece of theatre.  Everything about this play has been lovingly crafted.  The direction of Rebecca Wright is impeccable.

But this is also difficult play.   As will sometimes happen when treating a historical subject from a new perspective – something that is especially true when that subject is transformed before one’s eyes into a ninety minute drama -- a solid knowledge of that subject is required on the part of the audience in order to appreciate the freshness of the new information.  In the case of “Sarah Flood in Salem Mass”, the influences of capitalism, feminism, and animal rights are presented as factors in the shaping of the course of events that ended in the deaths of 20 people and the imprisonment of 50.  In Adriano Shaplin’s text, the real and the fictional blur into a narrative that raises questions that are central to the discussion of the witch trials and throw these new issues into relief.

Good historical drama, in addition to presenting a historical narrative that is interesting in and of itself, should, in order for it to have truly profound contemporary value, resonate with the audience.  “Sarah Flood in Salem Mass” does just that.  The first words of the play are: “This is the village.  It is full of frightened people who work almost all of the time.”   The issues that Americans are confronted with today -- economics, the destruction of the environment, power, and the level to which people will stoop to obtain it --  inform the text and make it new and original.  Adriano Shaplin has reshaped an old subject and elevated the discussion to a new level.

Performances of "Sarah Flood in Salem Mass" continue through October 27.  Check out our full event listing here: https://stagebuddy.com/listingdetail.php?lid=14066