Review: JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN at Studio Theatre

Topical themes rule the day at the current production at Studio Theatre's current production John Proctor is the Villain. This is a play that has good intentions to spare, fine acting, and superb production values but never quite gels as it tries to do too much at the same time.

Specifically set in a classroom in rural Georgia, --- peer pressure, sexual politics, sexual predation, misogyny, and provincialism are all attacked with such unrelenting fervor that a strident tone develops. The playwright Kimberly Bellflower has attempted to do too much within the time of the play ---the sisterhood of high school students, comparison of their lives with the text of Arthur Miller's classic play The Crucible and accusations of sexual predation are the primary topics that are explored.

Unfortunately, the writing is comprised of continual declarations and exclamatory statements by the characters and little time is given to developing the context and backstory of the characters. The attempt to mirror the problems of the students with the characters in The Crucible was intriguing at times but was a strained analogy overall.

The director, cast, production, and technical have done a marvelous job working within the constraints of the play. On the plus side, the theme of sisterhood with the high school students is very well-explored with finely timed interchanges and some excellent acting. Credit to Director Marti Lyons for eliciting stellar and nuanced performances from her cast. Ms. Lyons has also captured the ambience and texture of a classroom with its peer pressure, powerplays and casual micro-aggressions.

Miranda Rizzolo as Beth Powell is a standout as the questioning and idealistic character in the play. Ms. Rizzolo portrayed a young woman caught up with trying to believe in only the positive and she etched her character with vulnerability and questioning idealism.

Resa Mishina as Ivy Watkins delivered a touching performance as the character caught up in the real-life dilemma of being the daughter of a philanderer.

Deidre Staples as Nell Shaw delivered a portrayal of a confident young woman whose self-possessed demeanor covered up her insecurity.

Dave Register as Carter Smith etched a performance of quiet yet searing intensity. Mr. Register subtly portrayed the callowness of a person oblivious to his machinations.

Juliana Sass as Shelby was a standout, especially in her extended ruminative monologue. Ms. Sass had the chameleon-like ability to transcend so much of the writing through her sheer luminescent acting skills.

Jordan Slattery as the sharp-tongued Raelynn delivered a direct and audacious performance.

Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, Zachary Keller, and Lida Maria Benson delivered fine support in their roles. The roles of Diaz-Silverio and Keller were stereotypical and heavy-handed in the writing, but the actors made the most of their one-note characters. The playwright is allowed to have her perspective, but the heavy-handedness of the theme that all women are good and that all men are bad is overbearing without nuanced development of all the characters in totality. Ibsen in A Doll's House and Wendy Wasserstein in The Heidi Chronicles managed all the characters' context with more complexity and synergy.

In a play like this that is often described as "fast-moving", do not expect a naturally wrought catharsis ---instead, the students gather and scream at the top of their lungs for release. In this overwrought vein, the music between scenes was so loud and raucous that it would lead one to believe that each scene to follow was of the utmost importance and concern ---some of the scenes merited such high-voltage musical fanfare but others did not.

Set Design by Luciana Stecconi is accomplished and very vividly shows the classroom setting replete with desks, chalkboard, papers, and concrete light blue blocks for the classroom walls. The Mead's intimate theatre space with its thrusting proscenium made for a very immersive viewing experience.

Lighting designer Jesse Belsky and Moyenda Kulemeka's apt costume design must be commended.

John Proctor is the Villain has good intentions, relevant themes, fine acting, and excellent production values but it fails to come together as a satisfying unified play.

Running Time: Two Hours and Fifteen minutes including a fifteen-minute intermission.

John Proctor is the Villain runs through June 5, 2022. Studio Theatre is located at 1501 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005. For tickets, click here.

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