Review: John Proctor is the Villain, Royal Court

In October of 2017 Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, two journalists at the New York Times, published an article about the sexual harassment committed by then movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. Their article propelled the #MeToo movement into the public sphere, which saw more women subsequently come forward to share their own stories. This forms the political climate that John Proctor is the Villain finds itself in. 

Set in a Junior year English class in a small town in Georgia, USA, a group of students are studying Arthur Miller’s The Crucible –  a work about 17th Century real events in the Salem Witch Trials. Knowledge of the play is generally expected in writer Kimberly Belflower’s work. Led by their teacher Mr Smith (Dónal Finn), a Proctor fan in chief, class discussions get fiery and the group are paired off to create their own interpretive projects on Miller’s classic. Interpretive being the key word.

The play explores how different teenagers are able to handle this new wave of feminism from a distance as a spectator, eased by encouragement and idolisation. But as this group soon discovers, when this impacts their own lives, the conversations become a lot more complex.

Belflower’s script is brilliant. It moves beautifully from comedy to tragedy at the drop of a hat, sowing seeds early on for a somewhat euphoric final moment. The cultural references throughout, ranging from Taylor Swift to Twilight, are spliced in neatly and never feel clichéd, which is no mean feat. The characters we meet are people we know, people we too went to school with: a teachers’ pet, someone who had a plethora of relationship dramas. That’s the beauty of her script. It plays with literature and its meaning through this incredibly relatable lens.

Unlike its Broadway turn starring Stranger Things actor Sadie Sink, there is no heavy stunt casting attached to this production and that is wonderfully refreshing. The ensemble are incredibly strong, the performances are heartfelt and take you right back to your own school days and all that entailed. Miya James as Raelynn Nix is particularly memorable, from her struggles with ex-boyfriend Lee (Charlie Borg) and her tricky relationship with the troubled Shelby (Sadie Soverall).

Lauryn Ajufo as Nell, the new girl in the class, brings Belflower’s comedy additional lightness, being the voice of reason amidst the craziness of teenage chatter. Holly Howden Gilchrist’s Beth is then the 4.0 hardworking college hopeful, incessantly apologising.

The piece has no interval, but Danya Taymor’s direction grips from start to end. You become embroiled in high school politics, all confined within the four walls of their classroom. There are moments of inner thoughts with no dialogue peppered throughout the piece, and characters are at times bathed in an ethereal white light, to delve into what is going on under their facade.

Movement direction by Tilly Evans-Krueger must be applauded. The final moments of the play feel cathartic and effortless, beautifully capturing the female rage, in a nod to the possession moments from The Crucible itself.

John Proctor is the Villain takes a classic text and spins it on its head. Led by a relatable host of characters, it’s a play that will make you question your literary icons.

Writer: Kimberly Belflower
Director: Danya Taymor
Scenography: AMP, featuring Teresa Williams
Costume Designer: Sarah Laux
Lighting Designer: Natasha Katz
Sound Designer and Original Composition: Palmer Hefferan
Project Designer: Hannah Wasileski
Hair and Makeup Designer: J. Jared Janas
Movement Director: Tilly Evans-Krueger
Voice/Dialect Coach: Gigi Buffington
Casting Director: Julia Horan, CDG
Dramaturg: Lauren Halvorsen
Intimacy Coordinator: Katherine Hardman for EK Intimacy

John Proctor is the Villain plays at Royal Court until Saturday 25 April..