REVIEW: To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway

photo by Sara Krulwich

"All Rise" is the motif for the Broadway world premiere stage adaptation of Harper Lee's iconic novel. Just as our narrator Scout analyzed within the first few minutes of the show, "All Rise" means much more than standing up for a judge when s/he enters the courtroom. "All Rise" reaches outside of 1930s Maycomb, Alabama and shakes 2019 audiences out of a haze. All rise. Stand up against hatred. Don't let history repeat itself.

I first read the 1960 To Kill a Mockingbird novel when it was assigned in 8th grade. I hadn't touched it again until I checked it back out of the library to read prior to seeing the stage adaptation. Overall, I would say the play stays quite true to the novel, though with several omissions of supporting characters and sub-plots that aren't as relevant to the main trial. The biggest change, which sparked some controversy with Harper Lee's estate, was the alteration of Calpurnia's character. As opposed to her almost submissive counterpart, LaTanya Richardson Jackson's salty portrayal forces a whole new perspective that we weren't able to explore in either the book or the 1962 movie. The play, though still narrated mostly by Scout, reaches outside of her mind and sheds more of a spotlight on our favorite patriarch, Atticus Finch.

Jeff Daniels stars as Atticus and brilliantly so. The minute he steps onstage, the energy shifts inside the Shubert Theatre. In the trial scenes, Mr. Daniels commands the courtroom. In the Finch house, he easily switches gears into a wise and loving father. Atticus' love for his two children is obvious and heartwarming, and his admiration and respect for just about everyone else is refreshing. However, playwright Aaron Sorkin did a wonderful job in reminding the audience that even the most seemingly perfect people have a breaking point and aren't perfect at all, and Atticus Finch is no exception. 

Though I knew this going in and was admittedly skeptical, my absolute favorite casting choice of To Kill a Mockingbird is that the children are all played by adults. Scout, Jem, and Dill (played by Celia Keenan-Bolger, Will Pullen, and Gideon Glick, respectively) serve as the primary narrators of the story. Though these three actors in reality are much older (in some cases decades older) than their characters, all three of them do an extraordinary job of narrowing the age gap with their wonderfully poignant performances. I found the casting choices for these very dynamic characters to be quite powerful, given that these three children had to grow up rather quickly in the wake of the Tom Robinson trial and Bob Ewell's subsequent attack. I particularly enjoyed Gideon Glick as Dill, whose mannerisms and vocal alterations were reminiscent of Gomer Pyle from The Andy Griffith Show. He was the primary comedic relief and was an audience favorite.

I would be remiss if I didn't dedicate an entire paragraph solely to rave about the impeccable Celia Keenan-Bolger as Scout. Despite what all the marketing advertisements say, Celia is the undeniable star of To Kill a Mockingbird. Her transformation from a real-life 41-year-old mother to the 7-year-old child she portrays was the most believable and seemingly effortless. The way she stiffened her arms as she walked, the way she galloped across the stage, and the way she slumped her posture made her performance fully believable. I have been an ardent fan of Celia's for a long time, and this was hands down one of the best performances I've ever seen of any actor. Even when the stage was filled with the entire cast, I couldn't take my eyes off Celia. She drew me in immediately and kept me completely captivated for the entirety of the play.

The cast of To Kill a Mockingbird is extremely strong across the board. Notable featured performances included Gbenga Akinnagbe as a heartbreaking Tom Robinson, Stark Sands as an intense Horace Gilmer, and Dakin Matthews as a snarky Judge Taylor. Frederik Weller as our villain Bob Ewell made me want to strangle him; and even though Erin Wilhelmi's portrayal of Mayella Ewell sickened me, there's no denying her performance was sensationally gut-wrenching.

Two musicians sit on the far downstage corners and play a haunting tone-setting soundtrack. The music fits in with the story so perfectly that I often forgot the musicians were there. Overall, the production does a spectacular job at allowing the audience to focus on the story, instead of everything else happening onstage. The intricate scene transitions were almost magical. One moment we find ourselves in the courtroom in the midst of the trial, then our attention is drawn to one of our narrators; and before we know it, the Finch house is sitting peacefully in place of the courtroom. I did take the time to notice and appreciate that every single member of the cast took part in the scenic transitions. I know some people who believe that principal actors shouldn't have to be bothered with moving set pieces, but I was comforted to see even Jeff Daniels moving a set of stairs during the performance. This show is a true group effort; and every actor, no matter how big or how small their role, plays a multi-faceted part.

When we left the theatre, finished at the stage door, and were debriefing the show at dinner, my family and I began to debate why the jury chairs in the trial scenes were empty. The ensemble of the show were sitting in the "spectator" area, so why didn't they fill in as the jury? After very quietly pondering this question for a while, a theory, though I don't know if this is actually part of the director's vision, surfaced. Maybe the jury chairs were empty because the outcome of Tom Robinson's trial would have unfortunately been the same regardless whether a jury was present or not. It hurt me emotionally that my theory made sense. It hurt me even more that the racial prejudices depicted in To Kill a Mockingbird remain relevant today. I think this production entered the Broadway scene at the right time. On top of the spectacular performances, stunning script, and near-perfect direction, To Kill a Mockingbird forces its audiences to take a step back and "walk around in someone else's skin," as our Atticus would say. To Kill a Mockingbird forces its audiences to All Rise...against.

  

To Kill a Mockingbird is performing on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre in New York City and is currently an open run. You can purchase tickets to the Broadway production on Telecharge.com. The best way to obtain discounted tickets for To Kill a Mockingbird is through their general rush ($39 rear balcony extremely limited view seats) and standing room only ($39 tickets to stand behind the last row of the orchestra) policies. Additionally, the show has partnered with Lincoln Center Theatre's LincTix program to offer $32 tickets to anyone between the ages of 21-35. It was recently announced that To Kill a Mockingbird will launch a national tour in August 2020 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. Additional tour dates, locations, and ticket information are to be announced.

Run Time: 2hrs 35mins with one 15min intermission

To Kill a Mockingbird rating: PG-13/R (strong and offensive racist language)

Hillary's Score: 9.5/10

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