There are three obvious ‘wow’ moments in the Royal Court Theatre’s seventieth birthday programme. Two are starry revivals of classic plays from the theatre’s past: Man to Man starring Tilda Swinton and Krapp’s Last Tape with Gary Oldman.
The third is a very modern coup: the modestly-sized new writing theatre has bagged the UK debut of Kimberley Belflower’s US smash John Protcor is the Villain, a wholesale transfer of Danya Taymor’s hit Broadway production.
The play does in fact have a link to the Royal Court, being a very playful post-#MeToo riff on Arthur Miller’s landmark The Crucible, which premiered at the Court during its very first season, 70 years ago in 2026. Here the action is set in a high school and a class studying The Crucible, with a debate over the morality of the actions of the play’s nominal hero Proctor finding head-spinning parallels in the student-teacher relationships in the ‘real world’. Plus: there are pop songs from the likes of Lorde and Taylor Swift.
The play’s Broadway success owes a lot to the star casting of Sadie Sink of Stranger Things fame – the Royal Court run is a little lower key, with the biggest name probably The Wheel of Time star Dónal Finn as teacher Carter Smith. Curiously, though, the lead-ish role of Shelby Holcomb will be played by another Sadie S – in this case Sadie Soverall, who starring in the off-Broadway transfer of the Donmar’s excellent The Cherry Orchard.
Are you under 35? We've got exclusive access to £25 tickets for those that are. To register, head here before midnight on Friday 30 January to receive the exclusive booking code.
Please note the following criteria when booking these tickets:
- Maximum two tickets per booking
- Both ticket holders must be under 35 on the date of your chosen performance
- IDs may be checked upon arrival at the theatre
- The booking link and code will be sent out to those who have signed up, on Tuesday 3 February, at midday.
