Coronation Street star takes to the stage in classic play The Crucible

Arthur Miller’s classic play The Crucible is set to take to the stage at Manchester Opera House next month.

The play, which follows the story of unusual goings on in a tight knit community, arrives at the theatre from Monday May 8 until Saturday May 13. The story follows allegations of witchcraft in a quiet town after a group of girls are caught dancing wildly in the woods. Soon, the village is consumed by fear, paranoia and manipulation.

The terrifying witch-hunt classic is one of Arthur Miller’s most celebrated plays, alongside his classic including All My Sons and A View from the Bridge, and was originally written as an allegory about the brutal reign of McCarthyism in 1950s America.

The bold new production has been directed by the Queen’s Theatre’s new artistic director Douglas Rintoul, who thrilled audiences with his recent sell-out production Made in Dagenham. The show will also see an impressive selection of UK talent playing the title roles too.

Charlie Condou, best known for playing Marcus Dent on UK’s best-loved soap, Coronation Street, takes on the role of witch-hunter Reverend Hale in the thriller alongside Victoria Yeates, who is currently appearing in BBC period drama Call The Midwife, as Elizabeth Proctor. They will be joined by Eoin Slattery as John Proctor and Lucy Keirl as Abigail Williams.

Charlie is hoping that the Manchester audience enjoy the play as much as other audiences across the UK. He said: “The feedback we have received so far has been really good. It has all been very positive. I hope the Manchester audience responds just as well as the other audiences we have performed to so far, so I am hoping that they enjoy it just as much.

“The last time I was at the Opera House was in late 2016 where I starred in Rocky Horror, which is a slightly different play, so I hope they like it as much as they liked that.

“It has been fantastic working alongside Victoria. We had not met before, but it is funny that we are both famous for playing midwives. She is such a wonderful actress and easy to work with, so it is a pleasure working with her.”

For Charlie, the best part about being in The Crucible is the role he gets to take on. He said: “I was approached to star in the show at the end of last year. It is a classic play and the character is very famous, so it has been quite a challenge.

“It is lovely though as it is so well written and the script does half the work for me already as the dialogue is fantastic and the story is so good that it makes my job very easy.

“The best thing for me is that my character goes on a real journey. He starts off absolutely convinced that he has found witches and that he is going to rid the community of evil and witchcraft, but as the show goes on he realises that it’s not quite true and that the girls have been lying, so he feels incredibly guilty that he has begun the trials. So, it is a great part for me to play as he changes so much.

But can we expect to see Charlie back on the cobbles anytime soon? He said: “It has been lovely going from Corrie to the stage. I used to do a lot of theatre, so it feels like I have gone back to my roots. It is hard work and it is a challenge, but I am really enjoying it.

“I had a great time at Coronation Street and I am still great friends with a lot of the cast, but it was time for me to move on and flex those acting muscles. I don’t have plans to head back to the cobbles at the moment, but never say never, they left the door open for me so the option is there.”

The Crucible is on stage at the Manchester Opera House from May 8 – 13.