“When horror comes to supper it comes dressed exactly like a Christian.” Uttered by the town drunk (Neal Huff), this quip is one of a slew of noteworthy ones from the eminently quotable To Kill A Mockingbird. I’ve personally endured dinners with showy self-proclaimed Christians who are sadly misguided bigots filled with hatred. Harper Lee’s 1960 novel takes place in the Jim Crow Alabama of 1934. This classic novel has now been adapted into a mesmerizing new play by Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men). Many of us have read and admired this iconic Pulitzer Prize winning work of American literature. With race relations in this country seemingly retreating backwards, the timing of this spectacular achievement is ideal.
Celia Keenan-Bolger (Peter and the Starcatchers, The Glass Menagerie) is Scout, an adult actress playing a very young girl. In the play’s superbly effective structure, she is also one of the narrators along with her brother Jem (Will Pullen) and their friend Dill (Gideon Glick). The production smoothly transitions from memory play to courtroom drama to small town observations and back again. The three actors are astonishingly fine in capturing the innocence of youth, the mysteries of grand adventure and the painful disillusionment of growing up in an unfair world.
The role of Atticus Finch as the lawyer who represents an unjustly accused black man in the deep south won Gregory Peck an Oscar. Jeff Daniels (Blackbird, God of Carnage) makes this man’s emotions and belief system come alive so naturally. He is not a towering bastion of elitist liberalism but an intelligent and ordinary man trying to do the right thing. Teaching his children proper behavior is of paramount importance. The scintillating dilemma explored here is the sizable gray area between the finely etched lines of right and wrong.
To Kill A Mockingbird has been criticized (and even banned by imbecilic school boards) for its use of racial slurs which frankly seem to accurately illuminate a time and a place. This production does not shy away from offensive language and it is empowering. Mr. Sorkin also takes the opportunity to flesh out the major black characters of the accused Tom Robinson (Gbenga Akinnagre) and the Finch’s maid Calpurnia (LaTanya Richardson Jackson). Both performances are stellar. There is pain lurking everywhere in this play. Mirroring life, once you open your eyes the truth cannot be unseen.
Southern whites are both villains and heroes. Erin Wilhelmi’s Mayella Ewell looks distressingly fragile. When she takes the stand to tell her story, the scene is raw and unforgettable. That moment takes place after her father (Frederick Weller) has already spewed his own brand of venom. Their words are searing and devastating. Both performances are awesome. Not to be outclassed, Dakin Matthews’ Judge Taylor presides over this chaos as our spiritual guide traversing the murky waters of American justice.
Ms. Lee’s father was an attorney who defended two black men accused of murder in 1919. The legal profession is certainly also on trial in To Kill A Mockingbird. Empty jury box chairs are presumably for us, the audience, to fill. Horace Gilmer is the prosecutor who shovels and spreads shit all over this particular case. Kudos to Stark Sands for an indelible portrait of a beacon of immorality. Each member of this cast achieves greatness within Director Bartlett Sher’s exquisite storytelling flow and movement. With Miriam Buether’s fluidly dreamlike yet simultaneously realistic scenic design, this production is a marvel to behold.
Racism is still frighteningly relevant in our imperfect society and quickly becoming more worrisome. One of the Oscar nominated Live Action Shorts this year is Skin. This film brutally tackles racial violence dished out by beer guzzling, gun-toting, angry white men. Sometimes I find these movies uncomfortably straddling the fence between condemnation and glorification. Harper Lee’s story contains repulsive events but never crosses any line; we ultimately know what is right and what is wrong. Evil is not celebrated.
To Kill A Mockingbird addresses the sad truth that mobs have no conscience or shame. This play should be performed on American stages for decades to come. Not to condemn or glorify but to remember and enlighten. One can only continue to hope and educate the next generation. Prayer obviously hasn’t been the salvation. We need elected leaders and appointed judges whose compasses point squarely at humanity. People who stand firmly on the side of doing the right thing. Everyone needs to make a date with Scout and examine (or reexamine) the vein of hatred that nearly split this country in two. And still threatens to again.
One Reply to “To Kill A Mockingbird”