Last Updated on March 27, 2026
4.0 out of 5.0 starsA special kind of witchcraft
In a wonderful coincidence of staging at the Royal Court, John Proctor is the Villain opens 70 years after Arthur Miller’s The Crucible had its UK premiere in the same theatre. The play written by Kimberly Belflower derives its name from the protagonist of Miller’s much-lauded play. John Proctor is considered to be the hero of The Crucible, the prototype of a good man. The title, John Proctor is the Villain, suggests that some long-accepted truths will be subverted.
John Proctor is the Villain takes place in 2018 in a ‘one-stoplight town’ in Appalachian Georgia. A group of American high school students is studying The Crucible. While their charismatic teacher, Carter Smith (Dónal Finn), explains the allegory that is central to the play, the 1950s McCarthy witch hunts being reminiscent of the Salem ones in 1692, the audience soon realises that the MeToo movement is going to bring the history lesson into the present. Belflower writes in the programme notes that she was moved to write this play after hearing Woody Allen describe the MeToo movement as a witch hunt.
Belflower references Harvey Weinstein, one of the girls reports that her elderly grandfather has heard of him, despite not knowing anything that has happened in the world since 1990. But John Proctor is the Villain forces this group of adolescents to confront what the MeToo movement means for them. It provides the girls with a vocabulary with which to examine experiences that have happened to them or their friends. This, plus their burgeoning feminism – there are some very funny scenes set at their feminist club – enables them to re-examine and to question the veracity of the male voice that discourages them from being themselves and actively encourages them to be less of themselves. The one male voice who does encourage the girls to speak and think is their teacher, the John Proctor of this play. Belflower skillfully lets this character seduce us – he appears at first to be the ideal teacher until he turns out to be the sort of teacher girls would do well to avoid.
But the audience is not let off the hook so easily. Early on, the girls tell the teacher they don’t believe in binaries, and Belflower forces her characters to confront the complexities of their relationships to abusers. What if the man who stands accused is your beloved father or your idealised teacher, men who make you feel good about yourself while at the same time abusing other women or girls? How do women support one another in the face of abuse? Should women automatically believe the accusations? Are they caught up in the same sort of hysteria that Miller writes about, or is dancing in the woods a way for women to express repressed rage in the face of abuse that so many have suffered?
John Proctor is the Villain is a powerful reconsideration of The Crucible through the eyes of young students beginning to really think for themselves. It is a well-drawn portrayal of the complexity of adolescent emotions. It is full of exuberance, laughter and tears, female solidarity and betrayal, a coming of age play. The girls come to realise through painful exposure that what men say continues to be seen as the truth and that the day of equal power lies in the distant future. Powerful men employ expensive lawyers, and slut shaming women is as old as the hills. We are living through these times again.
This is a wonderful play for young audiences in particular and will serve to introduce and encourage younger theatregoers. John Proctor is the Villain is a play that will either make you recall the highs and lows of your adolescence or, for young people, will reflect lived experience. Older audience members, like myself, may need a little cultural help. We may know who Taylor Swift is, but lack the in-depth knowledge to understand the textual references in her lyrics. I had to ask a young woman what the fabulous song was in the final scene. One does not have to know The Crucible to understand the play, but it certainly helps to understand the parallels drawn.
There is some powerful acting in a strong ensemble of nine. Dónal Finn is at the height of his powers as teacher, Mr Smith. It is a predominantly young cast with a couple of actors making their professional debut. A standout performance was Lauryn Ajufo as Nell, a newcomer to the class, who has had some problems of her own and has moved up from Atlanta, as well as Holly Howden Gilchrist, who nails the teacher’s pet, goody-goody puritan adolescent. There is some beautiful writing and acting of the relationship between Sadie Soverall as Shelby and Miya James as Raelynn, two besties who fall out over a betrayal that is just the tip of the iceberg of the pressures their friendship faces. They are two fine young actors, and their scenes together are some of the highlights of the production.
Belflower stipulates in the text that the dialogue should be performed at a pace, and director Danya Taymor keeps the action moving at a snappy speed. Sometimes the dialogue was too fast, and it was difficult to catch everything being said. John Proctor is the Villain runs to one hour and forty-five minutes without an interval, and while it is generally very engaging and fizzing with wit, there are a few scenes that ramble.
Music (Palmer Hefferan) and lighting (Natasha Katz) are very well deployed, especially in the final scene – no spoilers. This production is sold out but will no doubt be considered for a West End transfer. Interviewed on Women’s Hour this week, Belflower said she is currently writing the film script. Even if you have no tickets for this run at Royal Court, there may well be an opportunity to see it further down the line.
John Proctor is the Villain, runs at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court until 25 April 2026
Royal Court 50 -51 Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AS
For more options, check out London Theatre Previews, January – July 2026 – Off West End
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