Content Warning: Minor spoilers ahead for “John Proctor is the Villain”
A new and rebellious play has arrived in the city to break all the molds. This Broadway Season with star divas like Audra McDonald or Nicole Scherzinger, Sadie Sink stars as Shelby Holcomb in “John Proctor is the Villain.” The play, written by Kimberly Belflower and directed by Danya Taymor, follows a group of students who study The Crucible and their modern takes on the story.
Once the show starts, you will enter Mr. Smith’s literature class and get to know those that are going to be your classmates for the next 100 minutes. First-in-class student Beth is both nervous and ambitious, while Raelynn is the girl next door who prefers not to stand out. Ivy is a rich but nice, popular girl who will see her life torn apart after her father gets involved in a #MeToo accusation. The new member of the group is Nell, an outgoing girl transferred from Atlanta and through whom we will learn all the drama that happened last semester. In the class, there’s also Lee, Raelynn’s boyfriend, and Mason, the amiable class clown. Then there’s Shelby, an intense but smart girl who has been absent for a whole semester and is now back to set things straight.
You might ask yourself if you need to have read “The Crucible” to understand the show. The short answer is no, as the book is explained during the scenes, so in some sort of way, you are one student in this classroom. However, if you want to come with your homework done, it is highly recommendable to at least know who John Proctor and Abigail Williams are. You can have a quick read on SparkNotes (like some characters in the play do) so you get familiarized with the key elements of the original source material, mostly the Salem Witch Trials of 1692-93.
But what matters the most is what happens outside the classroom. The girls in the class start a feminist club to discuss the topics that worry them as 21st-century teenagers, soon-to-be women. If you were in high school during the #MeToo movement, you would surely see yourself reflected. What’s most enriching about the play is how each of them have their own reflections on feminism and empowerment, sometimes contradictory but still valuable in their journey of self-discovery as women.
Still, there are some major parallelisms between both plays. The most obvious is how Shelby sees herself in Abigail. During the whole play, she is portrayed as the villain because she made out with Raelynn’s boyfriend and then disappeared. In opposition, Raelynn would be Elizabeth Proctor. However, John Proctor is not Raelynn’s boyfriend, but rather Mr. Smith. After it is revealed that he is more than the cool teacher who helps the girls with their feminist club, each character has to be confronted with how they react to this ugly truth. The Crucible becomes a source of channeling the characters’ thoughts for letting their voice be heard and become the heroes of their own stories.
John Proctor is the Villain and, ironically, teaches a lesson on sorority. Despite the differences that the girls might have on the scandals that take place during the semester, they are able to put their personal issues aside and stand together against the true villain of the story; even though this female rage revindication takes some Lorde’s hits to start the flame.
If you are thinking of getting your tickets, note that you can get rush and lottery tickets at Telecharge. You can also enjoy the pre-show playlist with all of the Gen Z classics!