Review: JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN at Pioneer Theatre Company is a Transcendent Experience
JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN plays through October 3, 2026.
Pioneer Theatre Company’s JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN is more than just a show – it’s a transcendent experience that makes you feel deeply and think heavily all while being immersed in a finely crafted piece of art.
Despite a recent flood at PTC’s home, the show has been able to continue on at Westminster University’s Jay W. Lees Courage Theater. And gratefully so, as a case could be made for it being one of the strongest productions ever mounted by Pioneer Theatre Company.
JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN by Kimberly Belflower received seven Tony nominations for last year’s acclaimed Broadway production starring Sadie Sink. In a small-town high school literature classroom in Georgia in 2018, a group of students and teachers discuss Arthur Miller’s seminal play THE CRUCIBLE while grappling with feminist ideals and the local repercussions of the “Me Too” movement.
The script is raw and fresh, and the performances are truly revelatory. It’s impossible to single out performances in such a cohesively formidable, yet sensitive cast: Alex Humphrey’s shifting layers as Raelynn, Allison Dorsey’s unyielding fire as Shelby, Skye Alyssa Friedman’s thoughtful interrogation as Beth, Rocky Anicette’s attentive sharing as Nell, Gage Martinez’ personal evolution as Mason, Carson Stewart’s unaware toxicity as Lee, Colby Strong’s sunny instruction as Carter, Maggie Goble’s quiet questioning as Bailey, and Adri Cumming’s painful processing as Ivy.
Karen Azenberg’s direction is spot on. The play feels like you are in a real high school classroom watching real conversations with real teenagers.
The scenic design by Jo Winiarski is crafted with stunning verisimilitude, the lighting design by Jose Santiago is subtly defined, and the costumes by Theresa Ham and hair/makeup by Hope Bird make the high school come to life.
JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN plays through October 3, 2026. For tickets, call the box office at 801-581-6961 or visit www.pioneertheatre.org.
Photo Credit: BW Productions
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