John Proctor Is the Villain
Closing: April 25, 2026John Proctor Is the Villain - 2026 West End History , Info & More
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR John Proctor Is the Villain
John Proctor Is the Villain review – Arthur Miller’s classic sparks a #MeToo moment
8 / 10
Kimberly Belflower’s revisionist take on Arthur Miller’s classic The Crucible re-spins the witch-hunts for the #MeToo generation. A classroom of teenagers – mostly girls – want to set up a feminist club, which is sparked, you assume, by the news headlines. Set in 2018, it is an original way to deal with adolescent girlhood in the direct fallout of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, although the play takes a while to gather power. Beth (Holly Howden Gilchrist) is the class swot; Ivy (Clare Hughes) has a father accused of inappropriate behaviour at work; Nell (Lauryn Ajufo) is the new girl; Raelynn (Miya James) is a pastor’s daughter whose ex-boyfriend cheated on her with Shelby (Sadie Soverall). The last of these is key to proceedings but is absent from school – and this play – for quite a while. This is a small-town Georgia high school and the idea of a feminist club is deemed too hot to handle until a charismatic (and, to several of the girls, sexy) teacher, Carter Smith (Dónal Finn), intervenes with the idea that it could include boys, too. Dónal Finn, centre, in John Proctor Is the Villain. View image in fullscreen Lessons in feminism … Dónal Finn, centre, in John Proctor Is the Villain. Photograph: Camilla Greenwell Directed by Danya Taymor and performed straight through at under two hours, the script’s pivot is the play they are studying – The Crucible – under Mr Smith. Alongside it is their growing understanding of intersectional feminism, which sometimes bears adult realisations on sex and power. Flashes of personal drama come with a pointed spotlight on whichever character is under focus and there are exuberantly poppy paeans to Lorde, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard It is sweet but slow and slight until the parallel to Miller’s play is revealed with a shock. The initial Dead Poets Society vibe sours and Miller’s play takes on dark contemporary relevance around #MeToo, although this parallel stays hazy: there is a sense that Ivy feels her father is a casualty of the witch-hunt, but there is also a raised consciousness around male predatory behaviour, which has until now remained unspoken by these teenagers. Soverall is a standout in a role originally played by Sadie Sink in Taymor’s Broadway production; she and James have an intimate and awkwardly goofy chemistry as estranged best friends that is tender and convincing.
Review: JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN, Royal Court
9 / 10
Although important social themes are explored, the cast bring a lightness and joy to their characters that beautifully encapsulates the messy, imperfect experience of being human. John Proctor is the Villain is a moving, heartfelt, and hilarious piece of theatre that spills over the boundaries of make believe and into the complex real life of what it means to be human.
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by Stephi Wild - April 20, 2026
Kimberly Belflower's JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN, directed by Tony Award-winner Danya Taymor, will transfer to Wyndham's Theatre following a sold-out run at the Royal Court Theatre. The production was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Play.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - March 30, 2026
Check out production photos for the UK transfer of John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower, directed by Tony Award-winner Danya Taymor. The production is now playing at the Royal Court.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - March 30, 2026
See what the critics are saying about the West End transfer of Kimberly Belflower’s John Proctor is the Villain, making its European premiere at The Royal Court Theatre in London. Read BroadwayWorld's Review Roundup here!
by Cindy Marcolina - March 27, 2026
When John Proctor is the Villain opened on Broadway last year, it lit a fire. Kimberly Belflower’s response to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is more than play, it’s a movement. After shaking things up overseas, the piece is taking on London now (in the same venue that saw the U.K. premiere of Miller’s chef d’oeuvre seven decades ago almost to the day!) with its full creative team in tow and a brand new cast.
by Stephi Wild - March 20, 2026
All new rehearsal photos have been released for the UK transfer of one of the most anticipated shows of the year, the seven-time Tony Award-nominated, John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - February 2, 2026
The cast has been revealed for the UK transfer of John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower, directed by Tony Award-winner Danya Taymor. It arrives from a run on Broadway and plays at the Royal Court.
by Stephi Wild - October 28, 2025
Kimberly Belflower’s John Proctor is the Villain is set to make its European premiere next year at the Royal Court Theatre in London. Learn more about the production which will make the transfer from Broadway and find out how to get tickets here!
John Proctor Is the Villain History
Other Productions of John Proctor Is the Villain
| 2025 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 2026 | West End |
West End |
| 2027 | West End |
West End |
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