Review: JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN at Royal Court

Set in 2018 at the flashpoint for the #MeToo movement at a classroom somewhere in Georgia USA, a group of English students have been assigned the text of Arthur Miller's The Crucible by their seemingly mild-mannered and eminently likeable teacher Mr Smith (Dónal Finn). His enthusiasm for the work and especially its heroic central male character John Proctor proves the catalyst for heated debate among the class members, some of whom are in the process of seeking approval for a club whose remit is broadly to discuss and consider feminist issues. Seeped into this cauldron of youthful inquisitiveness, is a dash of religious propriety in Holly Howden Gilchrist's Beth (“I am saving myself for marriage”) as she rallies support for the initiative with new girl Nell (Lauren Ajufo), Raelynn (Miya James), Ivy (Clare Hughes) and Miss Gallagher (Molly McFadden).

We soon learn that another member of the class Shelby (Sadie Soverall) has been absent for a few months having behaved uncharacteristically by hooking-up with Raelynn's long-time boyfriend Lee (Charlie Borg). The first time the former best friends re-encounter each other, offers a comically awkward moment for everyone in the room but it is the first of several such explorations as unsavoury revelations become the subject of speculation, gossip and conjecture. Chief among these is an accusation of impropriety levelled at the unseen Mr Watkins, a local businessman and Ivy's father, who is accused of sexual harassment by his secretary. Later, it transpires that the outwardly sympathetic and upstanding Mr Smith, who is evidently the focus of multiple juvenile fantasies, has previously displayed predatory behaviour towards young women who attend his classes. When Shelby levels a direct accusation of sexual misconduct toward him, we see his grooming of her as a reflection of John Proctor's behaviour towards Abigail Williams in The Crucible.

The piece is peppered with popular cultural references to movies like Coven and snippets of song lyrics by Lorde and Taylor Swift which add a lively freshness to the revisionist interpretation of both Miller's play and its determination to depict Proctor as a fallible but otherwise honourable man. The youthful exuberance in expressing a particularly female interpretation of his behaviour is both revelatory and compelling. Within the context of the play it also finds an eager ally in the guise of a young male classmate Mason (Reece Braddock) whose gently blooming friendship with Nell over a project, serves as an antidote to Lee's clumsy and belligerently masculine approach towards his female classmates.

Kimberly Belflower's writing in the assured hands of director Danya Taymor exudes vitality and an earnestness to promote a female perspective. It is not an insidious agenda as some would have you believe, but rather a long-overdue rebalancing and one which most men with an open mind will embrace as eye-opening and compelling. It also makes for a fascinating and thoroughly entertaining evening of theatre and I would encourage everyone to try and secure a ticket.

JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN runs just shy of two hours straight through and continues at Royal Court until 25th April.

John Proctor is the Villain tickets