To Kill a Mockingbird : The Play with a Thousand Meanings - Tic Treitler

 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 minimal props/set in many moments throughout the show. Many transitions were accompanied by thematic instrumental/vocal music by Adam Guettel (Tony Award for Best Original Score, The Light in the Piazza).

The sheer momentum of this show is quite something to behold. I have read the book; but whether you know the text or not, every single beat in this show is interesting. Whether it is Mayella Ewell (played with tragic conflict by Arianna Gayle Stucki) having a fit in the courtroom or Atticus and Calpurnia having extremely relevant conversations, every moment left me wanting more. Just as if a character had finished a powerful ballad in a musical, the audience would roar with applause after many impactful spoken moments in the show. The twists, the revelations, and the resolutions of the play take on new importance in the theater.

The story is enriched by Sorkin’s adaptation, in my opinion. The original text, as controversial as it was and continues to be, does shy away from some of the many important subjects in the narrative: sexual abuse, domestic violence, The Ku Klux Klan, and capitol punishment. All of these stark topics are deepened and further explored in the play. This allows for the messages of the story to be up to date, in my opinion.

My one critique of the performance itself is the accents. While I may have never visited Maycomb, Alabama, let alone in the 1930’s, I was surprised at the severity and inconsistencies of the southern accents among the actors. It was rather jarring to begin with, but as the play continued, it became a unique quirk and did not draw too much away from the story.

In conclusion, this show is a delight from start to finish. The tour is showing at The Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis from February 14 - 19. I recommend this play for anyone and everyone.