HOW do you defend yourself when you are innocent but no one listens to reason?

Would you stand up to your accusers or would you be tempted to place the blame on someone else if it meant the finger would be pointed elsewhere?

The Crucible was written in 1953 by American playwright Arthur Miller and is about the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts dating back more than three centuries.

But what was most striking when watching Chester Storyhouse's excellent in-house adaptation was how relevant the play still is – because at its heart it is about human nature.

The production, directed by Geraldine Alexander, kept the stage props to a minimum to let the powerful story speak for itself.

It is based on the Salem Witch Trials which were a series of trials, prosecutions and executions of people accused of witchcraft in the town of Salem, Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693.

The events that take place in the play happened in real life in the isolated town of Salem and all of the characters are based on real people who strictly adhered to a Puritan lifestyle.

And when rumours of witchcraft and internal tensions within the colony were at their peak, a group of girls dancing in the woods became construed as a dalliance with the devil.

Miller's The Crucible uses that as the starting point for his exploration of superstition and mindless hysteria.

At Chester Storyhouse, which was recently officially opened by the Queen and the Duchess of Sussex, the stage's set of bare homes made of distressed wood reflected the mood of the story where reason is forgotten, fear is palpable and those accused will do anything to take eyes off them.

Like a vicious rumour, the play starts slow but reaches fever pitch by the final act with an incredibly powerful performance by Matthew Flynn as John Proctor who plays a key role in the story.

What is also interesting about The Crucible is that none of the characters are entirely innocent or guilty.

Proctor, for example, is a hard working, moral man who is nevertheless haunted by a past indiscretion.

Originally written as an allegory for the 'red scare' in the United States when people were being accused of being communists and arguably just as relevant in our 'post-truth' world, The Crucible remains a pertinent reminder that fear and self preservation are powerful motivators and that people can sometimes easily be manipulated.

- The Crucible is at Chester Storyhouse until July 7. Visit storyhouse.com