Review of John Proctor is the Villain

Last week, I went and saw the play John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower. The play follows a group of students in a small town high school English class as they read The Crucible. After watching, I couldn’t help but apply the situations to my own life in high school (but growing up in NYC is a LOT different from the rural town depicted in the play). I gained a whole new understanding of the situations in my everyday life that I used to think were normal: the hookup culture, “guy” talk, slut shaming, and double standards. If you live in NYC or are planning a visit, I highly recommend you see this play (especially if you're a guy; I took my little brother). The themes of feminism, toxic masculinity, and silenced voices are explored through the characters' personal stories and how that affects their understanding of The Crucible.

One thing I found interesting in the play was the continuing themes of “good people” and “bad people,” and how that fits into and is affected by society. The students' teacher, Mr. Smith, defends the actions of John Proctor, stating that he is a “good man who made a mistake.” Mr. Smith’s point of view on the book is affected by his role as a pedophile, and he includes this sentiment to defend his actions and foster the students' sympathy towards John Proctor, a character with whom he has much in common. This quote stuck with me throughout the play, and made me ask myself, what makes someone a “bad” person? “Good” and “bad” are subjective. For example, Beth relies on Mr. Smith as a teacher, a confidant, and a friend. When the truth comes out about him, at first, she refuses to believe it and trusts him over her childhood friends. This illustrates how especially hard it is to see figures that you look up to, and strive to be like, do bad things. This is also seen in Ivy’s experience in finding out about her father’s affair with a younger woman. She takes her father’s side till the end and refuses to open up her mind to the possibility that a father she loved and trusted could be capable of hurting her mother so much. We, as the audience, have a much less personal connection to the characters, and it’s much easier to form a (relatively) bias-free opinion. However, the “good” in this show is also subjective. While many may view Shelby as a hero, a survivor, and a victim, she’s not all good. She cheats with her best friend's boyfriend and just takes off and leaves town, not even attempting to explain her situation to anyone. While Shelby was going through a difficult and confusing time, dealing with her relationship with Mr. Smith, that does not excuse her betrayal of her best friend or the terrible way she handled it. In addition, while Beth was a likeable and sweet character for the majority of the show, she does have questionable moments. She makes biased, and even sexist statements concerning her interpretation of The Crucible, and even defends her predator of a teacher over a girl she’s known since she was little. 

This play taught me that good people can do bad things, and that there is good in bad people. Even further, it showed me that really, there is no such thing as “good” and “bad” people, only people whose actions determine your view of them. John Burroughs said that “the smallest deed is better than the greatest intention.” Like “good” and “bad”, intentions are subjective, but actions are definitive and tell the world around you what kind of person you are. I would HIGHLY recommend seeing John Proctor is the Villain.