John Proctor is the Villain Reviews

The Boston Globe - Highly Recommended

"...Now at the Huntington in a vibrant production directed by Margot Bordelon, with first-rate performances across the board by Bordelon’s nine-member cast, “John Proctor is the Villain” is set in 2018 at a high school in rural Georgia, against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement."

WBUR - Highly Recommended

"...With keen direction from Margot Bordelon and the insightful writing of the playwright, the creative team crafts a tale that probes deeply into the politics of power and gender dynamics in a fresh way that hints at societal hypocrisy and shines a bright light on the ways we free one from guilt or frame another’s actions too quickly and how what a hero or victim looks like is shaded and shaped by the viewers’ lens of personal experiences."

Joyce's Choices - Highly Recommended

"...Look out Arthur Miller. Playwright Kimberly Belflower has flipped the script on witches, bitches, and snitches in a crucible of a play about predation, patriarchy, and power. I left as fired up as these teenage girls. A HS English class in a self-described “one-stoplight town” in Appalachia is reading Arthur Miller’s THE CRUCIBLE."

Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

"...Kimberly Belflower’s riveting John Proctor is the Villain, which had its world-premiere at Studio Theatre in D.C. in 2022, opened last night at The Huntington. It is a work of profound inspiration, and — with spot-on direction by Margot Bordelon (…what the end will be for Roundabout) and a knockout nine-member cast — grabs the heart, the soul and the mind."

New England Theater Mirror - Recommended

"...For me (and my plus one, a high school senior), the play is more engaging towards the end; as the pacing picks up, the character development becomes clearer, and the actors’ performances are more natural and nuanced. Two scenes in particular were exceptional: Nell and Mason sitting on the floor during Feminism Club, collaborating on their special project, bridging differences across gender, race, and perspective, declaring that if problems arise, they’ll figure them out, and forming a supportive friendship that extends when they’re back in the classroom (and perhaps, if they both give each other the green light, may deepen outside school)."

The New England Theatre Geek - Recommended

"...John Proctor is the Villain is both an explanation for why people don't believe stories of abuse and a guide to begin believing girls' stories of assault. It begins with giving us the benefit of the doubt. It puts the next step, protecting the community from groomers, in our hands."