Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Classics from her perspective: Whitney White’s MACBETH IN STRIDE and Kimberly Belflower’s JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN

• By drediman
• April 21, 2025
• No Comments

Last week, I took in two new works that inverted canonical plays by presenting them from the perspective of the female characters. As per usual, you can read on below for my further thoughts on these potent productions.

JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN
Booth Theatre
Open run

First up is Kimberly Belflower’s new play John Proctor Is the Villain (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), which recently opened on Broadway at the Booth Theatre. As one of the dark horses in the slew of openings this spring, I’m happy to report that the production is a cracker, and it may just turn out to be a sleeper hit of the season. Upon first inspection, the play can be described as an update of Arthur Miller’s seminal 1953 play The Crucible to a conservative Georgia high school in 2018. Although the premise may feel a tad on the nose, what Belflower has achieved here is really much more subtle than a one-for-one retelling of the Miller classic. Indeed, in her very entertaining, often audacious work, the playwright both comments on and inverts Miller’s original intentions, in the process uncovering the tenuous circumstances of the lives of young women — both in the play and in real life, then and now. Armed with this knowledge, it’s fascinating to contrast the outcome of a witch-hunt of sorts that occurs at the school (no spoilers here) with the one that transpires in The Crucible. In addition to being a thought provoking addendum to the #MeToo movement, John Proctor Is the Villain is also a keenly observant study of fiercely intelligent adolescent girls in the midst of puberty and budding sexuality. Belflower and director Danya Taymor don’t condescend to these young women, and neither do the superb actresses who play them, who give pitch perfect performances that brilliantly convey and shed light on the complexities of being a teenage girl (even if their teenage boy counterparts register little more than caricatures). As the “adults” in the room, Tony-winner Gabriel Ebert and Molly Griggs give layered performances that suggest that age is, indeed, only a number.

MACBETH IN STRIDE
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Through April 27

Then over at the BAM Harvey Theater, you’ll find Macbeth in Stride (RECOMMENDED), which is written and performed by the ubiquitous and multi-talented theater-maker Whitney White (who is also represented this season for directing the Broadway revival of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years). Presented by the Brooklyn Academy of Music in association with Philadelphia Theatre Company, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Yale Repertory Theatre, the piece is a re-examination of Shakespeare’s “Scottish Play” from the perspective of Lady Macbeth. In her probing dissection, White reveals another narrative that illuminates and finds empowerment in the untold stories of women, people of color, and the queer community (as an act of feminine reclamation, the piece is a more than fitting companion piece to Belflower’s aforementioned play). Stylistically, White’s production blurs the line between performance genres. Part cabaret, part rock concert, part lecture, the piece asks audiences to reconsider performative boundaries while treating them to some fierce, high-energy performances. Regal and unafraid to take up space and feed her ambition and desires, White makes for a restless and intellectually curious Lady Macbeth. Also worth mentioning is the deliciously sassy work of Holli’ Conway, Phoenix Best, and Ciara Alyse as the three witches-cum-backup singers. Just like the show itself, White’s earnest songs form a potpourri of musical styles that pop off the stage despite some occasionally muddy sound design. As co-directed by Tyler Dobrowsky and Taibi Nagar and accented by Raja Feather Kelly’s delicious choreography, Macbeth in Stride is a fast-paced fever dream that feels very much of the moment.