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What ever happened to Abigail Williams? It’s 1702, a decade after The Crucible‘s infamous seductress danced with the devil in Salem. Imagining the destiny of the immortal stage villain who cried “Witch!,” this thrilling next chapter by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Fox’s Glee, Broadway’s Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark) finds Abigail living under an assumed name in a village far from Salem, trying to start afresh. But now her past is about to catch up with her. Winner of the 2012 Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award.
“What intrigued me most about the character of Abigail was how much of an enigma ...Read More
What ever happened to Abigail Williams? It’s 1702, a decade after The Crucible‘s infamous seductress danced with the devil in Salem. Imagining the destiny of the immortal stage villain who cried “Witch!,” this thrilling next chapter by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Fox’s Glee, Broadway’s Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark) finds Abigail living under an assumed name in a village far from Salem, trying to start afresh. But now her past is about to catch up with her. Winner of the 2012 Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award.
“What intrigued me most about the character of Abigail was how much of an enigma and mystery she is,” said the playwright in an interview. “She gets all the turmoil going with her accusations, and then leaves Salem before The Crucible’s last act, never witnessing the results of what she started. I wondered if she might be living in secret, trying to atone for what she had done, being hounded by guilt, and that fascinated me. The idea of someone who had done a horrific thing but was trying to make up for it really captured my imagination.”
ICT’s desai was immediately drawn to Aguirre-Sacasa’s complex, highly theatrical story. “It’s spooky, haunting and surreal – a real thriller,” she says. “As Abigail searches for redemption, she’s forced to face off against the very devil she once embraced as a teenager.”
The recipient of the 2012 Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, Abigail/1702 premiered at New York Stage and Film as part of its 2012 Powerhouse season, and has subsequently been produced at Cincinnati’s Playhouse in the Park and Pittsburgh’s City Theatre.
Abigail/1702 runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., May 1 through May 24. Two preview performances take place on Wednesday, April 29 and Thursday, April 30 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $46 on Thursdays and Fridays, and $48 on Saturdays and Sundays, except opening night (May 1), for which tickets are $54 and include a post-performance reception with the actors, and previews which are $34. International City Theatre is located in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center at 300 E. Ocean Blvd. in Long Beach, CA 90802. For reservations and information, call the ICT Box Office at 562-436-4610 or www.InternationalCityTheatre.org.
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