To Kill a Mockingbird was our final show of the Broadway Dallas National Tour season and my first professional play ever! I was so excited to see this one because it was something different from what I normally go for (as far as live performance). It was also a huge hit when it was on Broadway, so expectations were high!
We probably all know the story of the classic novel by Harper Lee. I had to read it in middle school or maybe freshman year of high school. Unfortunately, this book is banned in some parts of the United States, which is a shame because it’s such a good story to read that’s full of historic events and facts. Now, I haven’t read it since we had to read it for school, so the premise of the story was a little fuzzy for me, but came back to me a bit while watching the performance.
One change that is talked about when researching the play online is the fact that the main character focus is more on Atticus Finch than Scout Finch. The play also focuses more on the trial that takes place in the story than on the story of Boo Radley, as in Boo doesn’t have as much focus or part in the storyline in the play as he did in then novel. There was also one important part of the story that we both forgot about and when it happened we were both shocked by it.
The story starts with Scout and Jem talking about the death of Bob Ewell. After not being able to agree on how he died, they decide to tell the story of what happened up to that point. The play goes into a flashback from the start of the summer and throughout the story, present day Scout and Jem will interrupt with their friend Dill to add some commentary.
I really enjoyed this play and it has definitely inspired me to see more plays in the future. Although I was a little lost not having any songs and musical numbers throughout the show to keep up with where we were in the act, the play moved very quickly and it never had a slow moment. It is a little bit on the longer side, with the first act lasting a little longer than an hour and a half and the second half just over an hour long.
The entire cast did an incredible job. Steven Lee Johnson had us laughing for a majority of the play as Dill. However, the cast member that really stood out to me was Melanie Moore as Scout. I can see how people believe that Atticus Finch is the main focus of the story, but I honestly believe Scout carries the show with her narration of the events of the story. Another special moment that we were unaware of when we first meet the character is Mary Badham as Mrs. DuBose. Now if you’re like me, you’re probably wondering why this is so special. Mary Badham played Scout in the 1962 film opposite Gregory Peck as Atticus. I didn’t read the playbill before the show, and was therefore confused when the people next to me got excited when she came out for her first scene. What an exciting full-circle moment!
Bartlett Sher directed this production of To Kill a Mockingbird. I’m a huge fan of his work in other shows. He’s more known for directing a majority of the musical revivals that are performed at Lincoln Center, so it was exciting to see his direction in a different type of show, particularly a play. The set design is very minimalistic. The “background” of the show looked like a grey brick wall. In fact, it honestly looked like they used the back of the theater itself and used lighting on it to match the mood of the play. The set pieces were just a mix of a courtroom and the outside of the Finch house.
Now while there isn’t any music as far as singing and dance numbers, there is instrumental music playing during scene changes to help the flow from one scene to another. I really forgot about this, but remember the music being a big part of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The music for To Kill A Mockingbird was composed by Adam Guetell, who is best known for his composition of the music for The Light in The Piazza.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a must see as it continues its journey traveling around the country. I’m definitely going to try to catch it again when it makes its way to Fort Worth in September.
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