Theater review: ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’

The Island Now

By Elyse Trevers

Every Father’s Day, sites publish lists of illustrious fathers. Almost without fail, Atticus Finch, the protagonist of Harper Lee’s 1960 novel “To Kill A Mockingbird,” is at the top of the list. Understanding, tolerant, intelligent and compassionate, Finch is the epitome of the parent we all wish we had and the parent we all wish to be.

From the pages of the classic novel to the award-winning film as personified by the dignified Gregory Peck (who won the Academy Award for his performance), Finch is seen through the eyes of his young daughter, Scout. She describes her childhood growing up in 1930’s Alabama, a young boy Dill who visits for the summer, an elusive character in the neighborhood, Boo Radley, and specifically the trial in which Finch defends a black man who is accused of raping a white woman.

To make the transition of a beloved book to a Broadway stage, “…Mockingbird” needed a playwright with great finesse and skill. And who better than the genius of Aaron Sorkin to undertake the task? In full disclosure, I admit that I’m unabashedly a fan of Sorkin’s work on Broadway, movies and TV including “The Social Network,” “A Few Good Men,” “Moneyball,” “West Wing,” “Sports Night.” Sorkin has taken some liberties with the book, which some purists may find objectionable. Instead of working chronologically, the play begins with references to the trial. Then there are flashbacks. Scout (played by talented Celia Keenan-Bolger) narrates the story with her older brother Jem (Will Pullen) and their friend Dill (Gideon Glick.) The three children in the book are all adults addressing the audience.

In some instances, Sorkin developed the characters more in the play than they were in the book. Housekeeper Calpurnia, (the wonderful LaTanya Richardson Jackson) becomes a sounding board and sometimes conscience for Atticus. Other characters, like the judge and a local farmer, become openly liberal and supportive of civil rights. The play becomes preachy about tolerance.

The best element of the casting is Jeff Daniels as Atticus. Having starred in “The Newsroom,” Daniels already had a creative relationship with Sorkin. He also has a long list of serious theatrical accomplishments and some inane ones, too (“Dumb and Dumber”). Daniels projects the perfect amount of intelligence, gravitas and homespun country wisdom. Except for his accent, which sometimes sounds like he’s speaking with cotton in his mouth, Daniels is a perfect Atticus.

There is a lot of creativity in the setting and staging of the play. Much of the action occurs in front of the Finch front porch. The trial takes place in the courtroom, which is depicted without walls. Witnesses and townspeople sit in chairs onstage and there are rows of seats for the jury, which remain empty. The lawyers address the jury but there are never people actually sitting there. Although Finch has proven that Tom Robinson couldn’t have possibly committed the crime because he has a crippled arm, in reality, a jury doesn’t matter. The verdict is a forgone conclusion and everyone knows from the beginning that Robinson will be found guilty. After all, this is the South in the 1930s , and he is a black man accused by a white woman.

Directed by award-winning director Bartlett Sher, the play moves beautifully for the first two hours but begins to lag somewhat after the verdict is delivered. Anger and hostility remain and there’s some retaliation against the family. Spoiler alert — the phantom, much-talked of character Boo Radley does finally appear to save Jem, but the scenes are slow-moving and somewhat anti-climactic. In fact, the last moments feel excessively talky.

Yet throughout the play, we are won over by Atticus, and, like his children, begin to venerate him. The sold-out show has already been extended to November, which will mark one year after first opening at the Shubert Theatre. Even when Finch seems to lose his faith in people, there’s a sense of hope in the play. As long as there are people like Finch and plays like this one, the message of tolerance will continue to spread. And hopefully, the show will prompt a new generation of “To Kill A Mockingbird” readers.

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