But not only is Francesca Zambello offering something truly audacious by performing an opera about allegorical witch hunts right from where their modern-day equivalents emanate, this midcentury operatic adaptation of The Crucible is actually a very worthy work on its own merits. I have always loved Arthur Miller‘s sprawling, somewhat baggy play, and I much enjoyed Zambello’s staging at Glimmerlgass in 2016. (She will reprise this staging in Washington this spring.) I’m wishing the WNO team the very best with this admirable endeavor.