Why British audiences will love these transatlantic hits

From Kimberly Belflower's John Proctor Is the Villain to the stage adaptation of Death Becomes Her, find out which shows to see during your visit to New York this summer.

If you’re looking for theatre beyond UK shores this summer, then the glittering lights of Broadway might start beckoning. But with so much choice and so little time, what with more than 40 theatres crammed into just a few blocks around Times Square, how are you supposed to narrow down what to see?

We’ve sought out three of the best shows for UK audiences in New York right now, from Kimberly Belflower’s impassioned love letter to girlhood John Proctor Is the Villain, to Cole Escola’s riotous comedy Oh, Mary!, which offers a side to American history that you’d never see in Hamilton, and female frenemies at war in the musical romp Death Becomes Her.

All were big nominees at this year’s Tony Awards, and all would make British ticket-buyers’ Broadway dreams come true.

John Proctor Is the Villain

Arguably the most raw and empowering piece of theatre on Broadway right now is Kimberly Belflower’s rousing riposte to Arthur Miller’s seminal play The Crucible.

Set in 2018, John Proctor Is the Villain centres on a group of teenage girls in small-town Georgia, who are studying The Crucible as part of their literature class. Just as The Crucible was written in response to the Red Scare of the 1950s, using the Salem Witch Trials of the 17th century as an allegory for the US government’s communist witch hunt, John Proctor uses Miller’s play to explore #MeToo, newly interrogating his text and, specifically, representation of the titular ‘villain’, John Proctor.

Miller’s work is perennially popular with British audiences: Dominic West led the West End transfer of A View from the Bridge just last year, and All My Sons, starring Paapa Essiedu, Bryan Cranston, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste, heads to Wyndham’s Theatre this November. The Crucible is also a classic playtext for drama and literature students across the country, thanks to its meaty themes on the abuse of power, justice, reputation, and religion.

But while the association with Miller might initially be a draw for UK theatregoers, Belflower’s intuitive writing and Danya Taymor’s sensitive direction, as well as a true ensemble cast effort, are what make this show really shine.

It also helps that Belflower, Taymor and sound designer Palmer Hefferan have curated a dynamite pop-culture-savvy playlist, with songs by all-female singer-songwriters including Taylor Swift, Selina Gomez, Florence + the Machine and Rihanna, and, most notably, Lorde’s “Green Light”. This is theatre that every young woman needs to see — on both sides of the pond.

Oh, Mary!

The two-time Tony Award-winning wacky comedy Oh, Mary! has a plot that is almost too absurd to put into words: writer Cole Escola’s revisionist history of the fraught marriage of US President Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd Lincoln positions the First Lady as a frustrated, alcoholic, wannabe cabaret star.

Escola famously did no research for the play — stating that it is about them, and not Mary Todd Lincoln — but even so, Oh, Mary!’s loose retelling of history is rooted in America’s Civil War era, from the fantastic costumes and wigs (courtesy of Holly Pierson and Leah J. Loukas, respectively) to the period set design. Hamilton this is not, yet Oh, Mary! offers an inspired, humorous take on this era — swapping Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop beats for wild, irreverent comedy.

While the British may have a reputation for their stiff upper lip, the same cannot be said of our comedy. Not everything has to be ‘worthy’ on our stages, as proved by Mel Brooks’s record-breaking musical adaptation of The Producers on Broadway in 2001, which was recently revived at the Menier Chocolate Factory and transfers to the West End this month. And at the beginning of the year, the West End welcomed musical parody Titanique with open arms — an off-Broadway success story, much in the same vein as Oh, Mary!.

This explosive comedy might be a very American tale, but the humour is bound to chime with British audiences. It is transatlantic farce at its zany best.

Death Becomes Her

Robert Zemeckis’s humorous film about two narcissistic women desperate to hold on to their beauty and stave off the ageing process (even seeking out magical means) became a cult hit when it was released in 1992, starring Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn.

Now adapted for Broadway, the musical’s director/choreographer Christopher Gattelli has retained all of the movie’s original appeal, thanks to cleverly choreographed sequences that exploit its most memorable cinematic moments – including that dramatic staircase fall, Madeline Ashton’s head swivel, and the shotgun blast through Helen Sharp's belly. It’s particularly charming when supernatural effects are conjured up via old-fashioned stagecraft, as in London family favourite Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

The vicious rivalry — and underlying affection — between fading actress Madeline (played by Megan Hilty) and struggling author Helen (Jennifer Simard) is one of the most enthralling parts of the show. It is always exciting to see a rich female relationship (as frenemies or friends) on stage, whether that be in the West End or on Broadway, with Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked being the best example of this.

British audiences also love a big, bold musical – whether it’s transferring hits like The Book of Mormon, The Great Gatsby, or Kinky Boots. Getting to see Death Becomes Her actually in New York would cap off a five-star Broadway trip.

To book tickets to these shows, and explore what else you can see in New York this summer season, head to NewYorkTheatreGuide.com.