Reviewed at: Leeds Playhouse, By Michelle Rawlins
It’s a story that’s been told many times, but this deeply evocative adaptation is as powerful as it was when it was first released 65 years ago.
From the moment the curtains rise, this sympathetic, but hard-hitting retelling of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, highlights hugely important societal questions that still need to be addressed.
The story of racial injustice feels as relevant now as when Lee’s novel, which has sold 40 million copies, was first published in 1960.
Set in Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930s, the retelling under the direction of Bartlett Sher and written for the stage by Aaron Sorkin, doesn’t stray far from the original story.
Tom Robinson, a black man, is falsely accused of rape and forced to stand trial in a town where the colour of his skin will determine a prejudiced jury’s outcome in less than 40 minutes.
The cast are uniformly brilliant. Seasoned actor Richard Coyle is phenomenal as Atticus Finch, the sympathetic lawyer who dares to stand up to the racism in his hometown. His poise and presence are captivating.
The warm-hearted lawyer’s principles are echoed by his two innocent, but astute, children, Jem (Gabriel Scott) and Scout (Anna Munden), alongside their friend, Dill (Dylan Malyn). Their narration, which jumps from innocent to necessarily chilling, exposes the moral peril which is at the heart of this American classic.
Aaron Shosanya’s performance as the gentle and dignified Tom Robinson is simply exquisite. Despite his predictable, wronged future, warmth radiates from him.
Finch’s housekeeper, Calpurnia, (Andrea Davy) is given a bigger role by Sorkin, who exposes with clarity the nuanced contradictions of a deeply racist society.
Miriam Buether’s dynamic set could have been at risk of jolting the script, but instead is an essential aid to quickly move the play on from one dramatic scene to the next. This adds to the mounting and palpable tension, which keeps the audience attention throughout the three-hour stellar performance.
The standing ovation, which started as soon as the final curtain came down, was well-deserved and a testament to this hugely important piece of theatre.
There is a reason why it was a huge success on Broadway as well as in the West End. It fulfils its core aim; to provoke much-needed conversations. It makes us feel uncomfortable and so it should. Fundamentally, it should make us want to stand up force change.
To Kill a Mockingbird is showing at Leeds Playhouse until: October 4 2025, then touring the UK
Tickets here
Photos by Johan Persson