Julieta Cervantes
Harper Lee’s first novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, was first published in 1960 and its themes of racial injustice, gender roles and sexual abuse have made it required reading for middle and high school students across the land (well, perhaps not any more in certain states that don’t want to be reminded of their history). The novel was adapted into a hit Oscar-winning film in 1962 that has become a classic over the years — Lee herself called it a work of art — and was also shown to school students (in fact, that was my introduction to the story instead of the novel). The novel finally hit the stage in 1990 (with audience participation) and has been performed as late as 2014. Then in 2018, Aaron Sorkin decided to tackle the material — with a less than positive reaction from Lee’s estate due to changes that deviated too far from the original material — and earned nine Tony Award nominations, winning one for Featured Actress Celia Keenan-Bolger as Scout Finch, the story’s main narrator. Unfortunately, the show was one of many on Broadway that fell victim to the COVID shutdowns, and the national tour was disrupted as well. Thankfully with audiences returning to fill seats, the show is on the road again … and not a moment too soon.
Set in the early part of the 1930s, To Kill a Mockingbird begins with a sort-of mystery as Scout Finch, her brother Jeremy (who goes by Jem) and their friend Dill recount the story of Bob Ewell, a local who is said to have fallen on his own knife and died. The three kids are also intrigued by another local resident the town knows as ‘Boo’ Radley, a man no one has seen outside of his house for years, leading the kids to cook up wild theories about his appearance, why he stays inside, and the rumor that he once stabbed his own father in the leg with a pair of scissors and then went back to cutting up the newspaper. They advise us, the audience, that these plot points will become an important part of the story later on. The main part of the story they tell us revolves around the Finch children’s father Atticus, a small-town lawyer who is pressed into service to handle a major criminal case even though he isn’t a criminal lawyer. But the judge knows that Atticus is the man for the job because he is one of the most thoughtful and considerate people in Maycomb, Alabama. Finch’s client is Tom Robinson, a Black man who is accused of raping and beating a young White woman. Atticus is sure he can win the case because he knows something about Tom that can absolutely prove his innocence, but with an all-White jury and his penchant for revealing some dark secrets about the accusers, Mayella Ewell and her father Bob, Atticus faces an uphill battle culminating in a violent attack on his children. The question left for us to ponder is was justice served?
It’s been years since I’ve seen the movie, and I have not read the book, so I don’t know how much of Lee’s dialog remains in Sorkin’s version of the story. Being originally produced in 2018, it is hard to ignore the fact that this version of the show came about as a direct result of racial injustices that began to increase during the last presidential administration, and seem to have only gotten worse as those Americans with deep-seated racist tendencies have felt unburdened, to freely put their racism on display. With the story set in the Deep South of Alabama, Sorkin (by way of Lee) has crafted some very knowing dialog that reveals why the South remains so ingrained in its Confederate history (for them the Civil War was yesterday, and it always will be), and also makes a few pointed references to mob mentality that now seems prescient. Thankfully some things have changed since the story’s setting — like Black people can serve on juries — but at the same time, the more things change the more they stay the same, and sixty-three years later we still haven’t learned how to accept people who are different from us if you know what I mean. And it’s only getting worse as politicians are attacking one marginalized group of people after another. At this point, I would not be surprised if the book is being pulled from school libraries in Red states (and it would be interesting to see how the show is received on the Southern leg of its tour through Florida, South Carolina, Texas and Louisiana). One thing is clear — we need this show now more than ever, but will the people who should see it actually make the effort?
Julieta Cervantes
Leading the cast as Scout is Melanie Moore, and aside from her Alabama-by-way-of-Boston Southern accent, she is terrific as the curious, thoughtful, doting daughter and loving sister, allowing us to suspend disbelief and accept that she’s a nine-year-old child. She has a wonderful rapport with Atticus, Jem, Dill and the housekeeper Calpurnia, bringing some deep emotion to the character in a scene and easily breaking the fourth wall to address the audience directly as she continues to give us more information about the events of the story. She really is wonderful. Our opening night performance featured understudies for both Jem and Dill, with Daniel Neale stepping in as Jem for Justin Mark, and Morgan Bernhard taking the role of Dill for Steven Lee Johnson. I always have to credit the understudies for the ability to step in on a moments notice, and both Neale and Bernhard were terrific, never missing a beat as if they played these roles every night, acting as co-narrators with Scout as well as having major roles in the parts of the story that become important later. Neale’s Jem is the more serious of the three, always ready to defend his family, even as his father still sees him as a child he has to protect (they do have a breakthrough on that front late in the story), while Bernhard’s Dill is a wise-beyond-his-years boy, often the comic relief of the trio, but one who is also hurting deep down inside and using that humor to cover it up (of course Atticus eventually sees through the facade). I just have to say Bravo to both young men for their outstanding performances.
Yaegel T. Welch gives a deeply moving performance as Tom Robinson, particularly when he’s placed on the stand to give his defense. You can see the aching in his soul as he tells his side of the story, denying the allegations against him, those very real tears streaming down his face. Welch gives a masterful, heart-wrenching performance. Arianna Gayle Stucki, as his accuser Mayella, is also fantastic, saying so much with her body language in the courtroom without saying a single word. When she does take the stand to speak, it becomes chilling and then horrific because we know she’s protecting her real attacker and possibly sending an innocent man to his death. But it’s not out of hatred — which she displays but we know was taught to her — it’s out of fear, and Stucki puts it all out there. Amazing. Joey Collins as Bob Ewell is the show’s true villain, just a purely evil man, and he uses any and all means to get what he wants, having no trouble at all making thinly veiled threats to Atticus, then playing the victim when Atticus turns the tables on him in court, and then leading a hooded lynch mob (one of the show’s most disturbing moments) to the jail. Since we know how his story ends, we can agree it’s well-deserved and that is certainly a credit to Collins’ performance. If he’d taken the curtain call by himself, I’m sure he would have been booed (which is a good thing for the villain).
Jeff Still as the ‘town drunk’ Link Deas has a wonderful, pivotal moment in the story with the kids, David Christopher Wells is the surprisingly enlightened (‘woke’?) small-town sheriff, and David Manis is the judge who, like Atticus, knows Tom is innocent of his charges and seems determined to see justice served (but perhaps he shouldn’t have suggested that jury trial). Both men are great in their roles. Giving a real stand-out performance is Jacqueline Williams as Calpurnia, the Finch’s housekeeper since Atticus was a teenager. Like Dill, she often gets some of the show’s more humorous lines, but after being confronted by Atticus about why she’s been angry with him — which she denies but is clearly fibbing — Williams takes your breath away when she lays it all out to Atticus, showing him and us that she was deeply hurt by him. Masterful. Fans of the movie should take note that the original Scout appears in the play! Mary Badham here takes on the role of cranky Mrs. Dubose with whom Scout and Jem have a less-than-pleasant encounter, finally pushing Jem to his breaking point as she slings one insult after another at their family for his father’s defense of Tom. She only has one scene but it’s pretty cool to have a bit of the film’s history in the show. (A little trivia — Badham, at age 10, was at the time the youngest person ever nominated for a Supporting role at the Academy Awards.) There are many others in the cast in small roles, but everyone is worthy of praise in this production.
Julieta Cervantes
Of course, the biggest draw in the show is Atticus Finch himself, now played by Richard Thomas, who is still beloved these many years later for his role as John-Boy on the 1970s TV series The Waltons (he’s also narrated the two Waltons TV movies that have recently aired on The CW). The role of Atticus fits Thomas like a glove. He’s warm, loving, humorous, intelligent but humble, perhaps seeing the world through rose-colored glasses, doing what he can as a single parent to impart a sense of compassion to his children (who clearly know that they are already not like most people in Maycomb). And while he may seem meek to his son, Atticus turns fierce in the courtroom, and even more aggressive when his family is threatened. For most of the show, Thomas’ performance is pleasant, thoughtful, he’s the dad we all want, and but when that switch is flipped, the ferocity Thomas unleashes is stunning. Sorkin has given him some wonderful material to work with, and Thomas fully embodies the character of Atticus Finch in a truly great performance.
Bartlett Sher’s direction keeps the show moving — and what a completely opposite show from My Fair Lady which is also on tour — allowing the actors to absorb Sorkin’s words and speak them as honestly and realistically as they can, making the characters feel like real people. If I have any complaint about the staging, it’s that this is a show that really needs to have its moving set-pieces on tracks. There’s a lot of unnecessary choreography with pieces of walls and windows, and tables and chairs and other pieces of furniture are wheeled on and off stage by the cast members, but as this is a play and not a musical, the rolling wheels sometimes obscures the dialog (and they really need to boost the mic volumes up a bit due to the music and some dialog that is almost whispered). The production design, however, is impressive, particularly the Finch’s front porch and the courtroom (although I’m not quite sure what purpose the fake exposed back wall of the stage served). The lighting design, however, was excellent, never going too bright, giving us a more naturalistic feel to the scenes. The costumes were also very good, period appropriate, serving the characters’ station in life.
I’ve been a fan of the film version of To Kill a Mockingbird since I first saw it in high school (and the show makes me want to see it again now), but it is certainly a film of its time, filmed and released just before the real push for racial equality took hold across the nation. All these decades later, one would hope the story would be more of a museum piece, a bit of history to never forget, instead of being as urgent now more than it ever was. I’m sure it will make some people uncomfortable, it may also spur others to take up the fight for equality for all, but it’s undeniable that the message here is one that cannot be ignored, as Atticus — and ultimately the audience — questions if the racist tendencies people in this country display will ever go away. Let’s hope they will, and perhaps To Kill a Mockingbird will give people the impetus to change or make change.
To Kill a Mockingbird runs about 2 hours 45 minutes with one intermission. Recommended for ages 12 and up. The show does include the use of a particular word in the context of the era that some may find offensive.
To Kill a Mockingbird runs through March 19 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre. Other cities on the schedule include Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Greenville, Houston, Austin, Dallas, New Orleans, Rochester, Louisville, Hartford, Chicago, Indianapolis, Norfolk, Atlanta and more. Visit the official website for more information. Use our Ticketmaster link to purchase tickets.
To Kill a Mockingbird – National Tour
The Shubert Organization
Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.
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