John Proctor is the Villain

For me, the best thing about having the opportunity to live in NYC is the arts scene. Plays, musicals, dance, music, films, galleries - we are spoiled for choice!

A few months ago, I saw the best play I’ve seen in a long time. It’s called John Proctor is the Villain and it’s written by Kimberly Belflower. Here’s the synopsis:

At a high school in a rural town in Georgia, an English class is studying The Crucible, but the students are more preoccupied with navigating young love, sex ed, and a few school scandals. As they delve into the American classic, the students begin to question the play’s perspective and the validity of naming John Proctor the show’s hero. With deep wells of passion and biting humor, John Proctor is the Villain is a new comedy from a major new American voice, capturing a generation in mid-transformation, running on pop music, optimism, and fury, and discovering that their future is not bound by the past.

This isn’t a review, it’s a call to action. I’ve been telling anyone who will listen to go and see it. I cannot remember the last time I stood up and cheered, clapped, and cried before a play ended, but that’s what I did when I saw Belflower’s play. The energy inside was unlike anything I have ever witnessed. One of the thoughts that popped into my head as we were leaving was ‘Yeah, artificial intelligence could NEVER.’

My friend and fellow author Lucy Ashe was the one who encouraged me to go and I’m so glad she did. What made the experience even more special is that Lucy directed her school’s production of The Crucible. I saw that in December without knowing about this play. And then it just so happened to be part of the show. (By the way, you do not need to have seen or read The Crucible to watch JPITV.)

I’m far too late with this for the current Broadway run (it closes September 7th), but if you get a chance to see it, go. Go, go, go. Fina Strazza as Beth was a wonder. I cannot wait to see what she does next. And the entire cast, crew and team of creatives was so, so special.

I never visit the stage door but that night was something else. I needed to congratulate anyone who came out. For the first time since I was a teenager, I got a playbill signed. I keep all my playbills in a special Levain cookie tin box (they don’t really fit so I keep the lid off but it feels very New York to me, so I make it work.) But, this one was so special, I might frame it. A few days later, I went to the Drama Bookstore (such an amazing place to get lost in) and bought the script.

I left the theatre feeling giddy, and practically skipped all the way to 42nd street station.

The play won a slew of awards and the film rights have been optioned. But there is something unique about live performance - you can’t replace it. Being able to see this during its Broadway run was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Not sure what I did to be so immensely fortunate, but my goodness, I hope this luck never runs out.

If you’re in NYC or can get here before it closes, go see it. If not, it’s ok, because I bet they’ll be putting this on in other cities.

I took some photos afterwards (a few of which I shared above) but it’s best to keep the actual set under wraps. I also wanted to put in a song (if you’ve seen the play, you know exactly what I’m talking about), but again, better for everyone to be surprised.

You can buy tickets to John Proctor is the Villain at TodayTix, or from the official box office at the Booth Theatre. Pro tip, if you go to the box office and pay in person, you save a bit of money in service fees. You can also try to get rush tickets, but at this point, they will be standing room only and might be partially obstructed. If you are rushing, your best bet is to line up at about 5:30 a.m. Check out the Broadway rush reports on Reddit for more info.