John Proctor is the Villain

TeenAngsters

John Proctor is the Villain

by Kimberly Belflower

RCT, Wagner Johnson Productions et al at The Royal Court Theatre, Chelsea until 25^th March

Review by Eleanor Lewis

The well-known quote: “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them, women are afraid that men will kill them.” is usually attributed to Margaret Atwood, though Atwood claims she actually got the gist of it from a male friend. Either way, laughter plays a large part in Kimberly Belflower’s strikingly good play John Proctor is the Villain, currently running at the Royal Court having transferred from Broadway, with many, many award nominations in its wake.

It’s important to mention the laughter, because whilst the play’s title suggests a new and possibly unsettling take on Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the work is very funny. In a small town school in Georgia, USA, six students are studying The Crucible in their English class at their equivalent of what would be A level, Year Twelve or Thirteen here. Their popular young teacher Carter Smith engages easily with the four girls and two boys, presents them with the basics of The Crucible — Salem witch trials 1692 Cf. 1950s McCarthyism in the US — and sets them a project in which they must work in pairs to create a scene involving two characters who never meet in the play and imagine how that would go.

Alongside this, the girls want to set up a feminism group but have encountered resistance from the school on the basis that it might alienate some students, not least the boys. Mr Smith brokers a deal in which the club can go ahead as long as it includes boys.

While developing their project and talking feminism, sex and current events, the six characters find they also have to deal with a series of increasingly real experiences of things they have so far only been presented with on TV in the form of Harvey Weinstein etc. and the MeToo Movement. Beth (Holly Howden Gilchrist) an earnest and hard-working girl is friends with Ivy, daughter of a rich family but managing not to be spoilt. Ivy’s father is accused of sexual harassment and Ivy is distraught. Raelynn (Miya James) is getting over the trauma of her best friend Shelby having stolen her boyfriend Lee. Shelby (Sadie Soverall) left the school for some considerable time after this betrayal, only to reappear as a seventh character some way into the action and create a significant stir. Nell (Lauryn Ajufo) is a new girl, from Atlanta, more tuned in to the world than the others. Larger issues, much larger issues, come to light but spoilers will not feature here — there are some ‘gasp out loud’ moments, for this work is cleverly structured.

There are two boys Mason (Reece Braddock), sweet, well-meaning but not paying much attention until he encounters Nell; and Lee (Charlie Borg) struggling to understand why the world is no longer going his way and resisting it fiercely. Both actors make their stage debut to great effect, but the work is such a team effort it is difficult to single out specific performances, these young characters are all recognisable and endearing without sentimentality. Sadie Soverall is both poignant and admirable as Shelby but as a character she has somewhat more to deal with than the others. Similarly Miya James as Raelynn is fascinating to watch as she almost literally absorbs information involved in the growing up process, and grows with it. Dónal Finn hits the mark precisely with his calm, reassuring teacher presence.

The world of 2018 as it relates to these teenagers is perfectly drawn, their interactions flow naturally, they are, as previously mentioned, very funny and the natural way in which significant lines are deployed is deeply satisfying: “My mom taught me how to do my face before she taught me about my period”, Raelynn says, unconsciously raising the flag for intersectional feminism while exiting the classroom and beginning her permanent uncoupling from the wayward Lee.

The Crucible is not reinterpreted here, it is referenced and re-examined. The eventual take-down of John Proctor is arguably a little oversimplified but these are teenage characters, it could be viewed as a starting point. The frenzied dance finale to current pop icon Lorde’s Green Light, echoes Miller’s dancing in the woods scene and it seems perfectly appropriate for a bunch of young women at the forefront of the next wave of feminism, and on the verge of adulthood. They do not need to wait for a green light, they are now in charge of the switch as soon as they realise it.

This is theatre as it’s supposed to be, entertaining, informative and thought-provoking. It’s the best thing this reviewer has seen for a while and can only be highly recommended. It’s also worth noting that there were many younger people in the audience than are often seen in auditoriums these days, which is a very good thing! The current Royal Court run is understandably sold out but it is sure to reappear, please go and see it.

Eleanor Lewis, March 2026

Photography by Ben McDonald