Andrew Robinson
To Kill A Mockingbird opened on Broadway on December 13th, 2018. Featuring movie star Jeff Daniels as Atticus Finch, TKAM, as it will henceforth be referred to, has been one of Broadway’s most popular plays since its inception. This reviewer has a history of loving all things To Kill A Mockingbird (check out this article from about a year ago), and was finally able to see the Broadway version earlier this month. It lived up to all expectations.
Spoilers will be present.
Summary
To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in 1930s Alabama, and follows 6-year-old Scout Finch (Celia Keenan-Bolger) as her father, Atticus (Daniels), defends Tom Robinson (Gbenga Akinnagbe) in court. Robinson is an African-American family man accused of raping Mayella Ewell (Erin Wilhelmi), a white woman.
Analysis
The main difference from the book is that Scout, her ten-year-old brother Jem (Will Pullen), and their friend Dill (Gideon Glick), are played by adults on Broadway. For obvious reasons, the adults are tasked with playing adolescents in the Broadway version. It makes for an interesting show, as watching the adults act as children is humorous and enjoyable. Keenan-Bolger, in particular, is utterly fantastic as Scout. She embodies exactly what a child would act like – she skips around the stage, speaks in a child-like manner, and is as carefree and fun-loving as a six-year-old girl. She is a very worthy recipient of the Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play, which she won this year.
The show as a whole was nominated for nine Tonys, but curiously missing from its nominations was Best Play. Given the fact that TKAM is as popular and critically-beloved as it is, it’s a bit of a shock that the show didn’t receive a Best Play nomination. Regardless, it is a fantastic show that deserves every bit of praise.
Surprisingly, it opens with Jem and Scout speaking directly to the audience, as they attempt to uncover why Atticus lied about how Bob Ewell (Frederick Weller) died the night he attacked the two children. Jem tries to convince Scout that Bob fell on his knife; Scout just won’t believe it. They are quite a bit older – it is unclear just how much older, but it seems to be likely that they are either older teenagers or adults at this point. Then, the play returns to what book-lovers remember – the story of Tom Robinson’s trial. Scout and Jem – and occasionally Dill – narrate the events.
When Atticus enters for the first time, the crowd erupts for Daniels. Nominated for a Tony for Best Leading Actor in a Play, Daniels gives a memorable performance. His tone of voice is fantastic – he speaks quickly and with a certain firmness that a man of Atticus’ stature should always possess. One of the few qualms that this reviewer has with the play, however, is that Atticus has his moments where he loses his temper, unlike in the book and film versions. In fact, there is a fight scene between Atticus and Bob that simply isn’t something that is present in the book, nor is it something that this reviewer particularly wants to see. He also says “you’re welcome” under his breath to Calpurnia after deciding to defend Robinson. This results in a rift between the two, and is a new addition to the TKAM story. One could argue that Aaron Sorkin and Co. wished to include some aspects of Go Set A Watchman – Harper Lee’s sequel to TKAM – which features an older, racist Atticus. When thought of that way, it makes sense to include a few scenes that show Atticus losing his perfect status. However, this reviewer still didn’t particularly enjoy the additions.
Regardless of this gripe, TKAM is one of the better Broadway shows out there. It follows the book for the most part, and is very well-done. It is a lovable inclusion to the TKAM world, and is worth seeing for anyone who loves Harper Lee’s famous novel. The MVP is Keenan-Bolger as Scout, but the entire cast and crew, headlined by Daniels, makes the show worth seeing.
Verdict
To Kill A Mockingbird is one of Broadway’s best. It is worth the viewing for anyone that loves Lee’s source novel. Despite a few times when it strays from the novel, TKAM is mostly true to its source, and features messages that all should see.
9/10
