Critical Review at Hennepin Arts

Tyler Quade  Having been one of the many American schoolchildren who were required to read the book in freshman year of high school, I thought I knew exactly what I was getting into when going to see To Kill a Mockingbird at the Orpheum last tuesday. When I heard the first roar of laughter from the audience, however, I began to doubt my memory of the book. Originally by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird is a story set in the rural south of a black man falsely accused of a heinous crime. The place of comedy in this story came off in poor taste at some places, and my views on it overall are in constant flux. The story is supposed to be from the point of view of the children and that inherently includes having unreliable narrators, but in a stage production where there is little time for moments to set in with the audience, the comedic elements often felt like they detracted from the horror of the main theme. On the other hand, the laissez-faire attitude of the characters gave an idea...

  Tic Treitler To Kill a Mockingbird The Play with a Thousand Meanings To Kill a Mocking Bird at the Orpheum Theatre, an adaptation of Harper Lee’s book of the same title and adapted by Aaron Sorkin, is an absolute must-see play. It is not often you see touring plays, but it is clear to me why this one is able to.  The play is very powerfully narrated by Atticus Finch’s children, Scout and Jem, as well as a visiting boy, “Dill Harris”. Steven Lee Johnson (Dill) does a fantastic job of nailing all the humorous situations and injecting humor into the otherwise serious plot. The stage is set with a beautifully simplistic and rustic set designed by Miriam Buether. Her use of negative space, especially in the Finch house, which is depicted as a porch, a door, and windows without a wall, is very creative. The only thing I missed was the tire swing as described in the book. Set transitions were similarly ingenuitive. The rich language and delivery of the text allowed for extremely m...

  Claire Huss To Kill A Mockingbird All Rise Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird finds new life in Aaron Sorkin’s onstage adaptation of the controversial novel. Lee’s story follows the trial of a Black man wrongfully accused of raping a white woman through the perspective of the defendant’s lawyer’s daughter: Scout. However, the play chooses to change the perspective and breaks away from a Scout-centered narrative. The story tackles a heavy topic and frequently uses racial slurs, leading to the book being banned from certain school curriculums. To Kill A Mockingbird , at its core, begs every person who interacts with the story to reconsider their lives and wonder where they would fit in the narrative. Because of the complexity and weight of the situation presented, To Kill A Mockingbird demands actors who can deliver compelling performances. Nearly every cast member accomplished this, mainly acclaimed actor Richard Thomas as Atticus Finch. Atticus is a character whose moral grounds ...

  Maya Athena Ballolla To Kill A Mockingbird To Kill A Mockingbird: Guilty of Brilliance  TW: Rape  “All rise.” One of many notable and powerful lines which built the story of To Kill A Mockingbird on February 14 at the Orpheum Theatre. The awe-striking script of Aaron Sorkin matched with the tasteful vision of director Bartlett Sher moved the audience and created an eloquent narrative.  To Kill A Mockingbird follows a trial of a black man, Tom Robinson, and his dutiful white lawyer, Atticus Finch, as narrated by Atticus’s children Scout and Jem and their friend Dill. When Tom is falsely accused of raping an “innocent” and white Mayella Ewell, Atticus Finch steps in to serve what hopefully will come to a just ending. Going back and forth between narration of the story and the trial, opinionated, frightened and determined characters step up to the stand, testifying for what happened in their eyes on the evening of November 21st.  A debate of morals, actions, inno...

  Hairspray - An Electric “Welcome to the 60s” This quirky 60s-themed musical was first a movie directed by John Waters, later brought to the stage in 2002 by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan. The story follows Tracy Turnblad as she enters a world of fame on the Corny Collins show while advocating for those the show has excluded: the Black community which has been turned away due to segregation, and others who don’t fit societal expectations. The production at the Minneapolis Orpheum on January 10th boasted excellent dance numbers and a tangible feeling of community as the cast came together to fight for what’s right. Geometric lights and vibrant set pieces breathed life into this 60s-themed setting. The dances were elevated by moving, colored lights, occasionally with the silhouettes of cast members, which gave these songs the feel of being in a music video. Relatively simple set pieces, none of which were permanent, were expertly handled by the crew and cast members, making t...