Across the Ocean, Two Shows I Wish I Could See Again – front mezz junkies, Theater News

Frontmezzjunkies reports: John Proctor is the Villain and The Harder They Come head to the UK

By Ross

There is a particular frustration that comes with loving theatre in more than one city. You see something special in New York, carry it with you for months, maybe years, and then suddenly discover that the show has crossed the Atlantic without you.

This spring, two productions I witnessed in New York are opening new chapters in England, and both announcements landed with the same reaction: genuine excitement followed immediately by the quiet realization that airline miles and unlimited funds remain stubbornly out of reach.

At London’s Royal Court Theatre, Kimberly Belflower’s John Proctor is the Villain, directed by Danya Taymor, begins performances on March 20th following its acclaimed Broadway run. Watching the play in New York felt like witnessing a conversation ignite in real time. In my review, I wrote that the piece “dances forth with power and fury, electrifying the stage and audience alike.” And that energy came from the way Belflower lets teenage voices dismantle inherited narratives with humor, anger, and startling clarity. The play refuses to treat adolescent emotion as hysteria or minor, instead revealing it as intelligence in formation, urgent and unwilling to be dismissed.

It is exactly the kind of work that feels at home at the Royal Court, a theatre built on new writing that challenges audiences rather than reassures them. Knowing a new cast of young performers will now step into that combustible classroom setting makes the transfer feel like a continuation of the much-needed argument the play first began in New York.

If John Proctor Is the Villain represents theatre’s ability to challenge a cultural narrative, the second transfer arriving in the UK this year carries a very different energy.

Returning to Stratford East, an equally memorable experience makes its way back to the stage. The Harder They Come, adapted by Suzan-Lori Parks and directed by Matthew Xia, brings its reggae-fueled storytelling back after a sold-out run. I caught the musical during its New York engagement at The Public Theater, where it arrived bursting with musical vitality. The production “starts strong and dances forward,” powered by a soundtrack that makes optimism feel irresistible even as the story darkens around its dream-chasing hero.

What lingered most was the atmosphere. The music filled the room with a communal pulse, inviting audiences to ride alongside Ivan’s dream-chasing ambition even as his choices grew more dangerous. It was imperfect, sometimes messy, but undeniably alive, the kind of theatrical experience that ignites passion and something visceral deep within.

Perhaps that is why both transfers provoke the same longing. Theatre is not like film or television. You cannot simply revisit it whenever you wish. Productions evolve, casts shift, and audiences change the temperature of a room. A show you loved once becomes something slightly different somewhere else, and part of you wants to witness that transformation firsthand.

Instead, I will be watching from afar, thrilled that these works continue to travel and find new audiences, and quietly wishing I could slip into a UK-bound plane just to see how they feel now. Because sometimes the hardest part of loving theatre is knowing the show goes on without you.

For more information on these shows, click these links: Royal Court Theatre & Stratford East.