Attention theatre enthusiasts, a new play is coming to Broadway! John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower is a fresh and modern look at the beloved and revolutionary play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. The comedic drama follows seven students in an honors English class as they read The Crucible, a 1950s play about the Salem witch trials, during the height of the #MeToo movement. Meanwhile, these same students are having trouble getting their feminist club approved by the school. Belflower decided to re-read The Crucible after hearing Woody Allen call the #MeToo movement a “witch hunt,” and became inspired to write a play about how different The Crucible was in the context of this current societal uproar.
The Unusual Rise of John Proctor is the Villain
Belflower’s journey with this play has played out differently than many other Broadway shows. Normally, plays that succeed on Broadway are then performed around the country and slowly make their way to the stages of schools, where students are able to perform the story to family and friends. But that is not the case for John Proctor is the Villain. Belflower first licensed the play to nonprofessional productions, which were mostly high schools and colleges, and then took the play to Broadway after its success in nonprofessional settings. It will be interesting to see how this difference presents itself when the play opens; a play written without the goal of being a Broadway production has the promise to be a refreshing and well-thought-out show whose intent is merely to share a story.
In even more exciting news, Sadie Sink of Stranger Things has been cast to star in the play. Sink is well known for her role as Max Mayfield in the Stranger Things, as well as her role as Ellie in The Whale, acting across Brendan Fraser. What a lot of viewers don’t know is that Sink got her start on Broadway, where she performed in Annie and The Audience. It has also been announced that John Proctor Is the Villain will be directed by Danya Taymor, the Tony award-winning director of The Outsiders musical.
John Proctor is the Villain is scheduled to begin previews on March 20, 2025 and open to the public on April 14, 2025 at the Booth Theatre.
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