“This was my teenage love”
I was expecting a lot. This wasn’t just any old story. This was my teenage love. This was the book that my dad had given me for my thirteenth birthday and the reason I went to law school. So, yes, my expectations on heading to the stage production of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ touring at the Theatre Royal were rather high.
The performance was an aesthetically-pleasing production that will have an army of English teachers rounding up their student-troops on coaches all around the country. It was an unapologetically avant-garde attempt to portray a classic story – of which the audience were continually reminded of as the storytellers read to us aloud from various book-versions of the tale. ‘This Is Us Recreating A Well-Loved story’, they seemed to say, as we were walked through key scenes.
The set, complete with tree-swing and evolving chalk drawings, was a wonder to watch and helped the audience to see the story through Scout’s young eyes. Southern-accents and a grasshopper soundscape helped transported the audience to the States (but it was slightly unnerving to hear the actors then slip into their UK accents for storytelling).
Little Ava Potter did a phenomenal job of portraying Scout, while Atticus Finch was cast as an anti-hero through subtle but strong acting. He was, as expected, a moral compass of the first degree but perhaps the audience felt a tad morally-overdosed by the continual ‘life lesson’ lines delivered in each scene?
The audience could probably have done with a higher suspense-to-storytelling ratio, and the predictability we had come to expect from the first act did not have us dashing to our seats after the interval (but how many risks would have been acceptable with such a well-loved tale?). The second-act-long court-scene managed to stir-up the appropriate dose of emotions but to see a hysterical woman cry rape dramatised was rather jarring with modern feminist ideals.
It was reminder of the still-relevant themes of injustice that Harper Lee conveys so well in her work, and allowed reflection the ways in which society has moved on the distressing and depressing racism of eras past. But ultimately his portrayal felt a little patronising: I am no longer a 13-yearold girl but an independent adult going to the theatre, without the of an need Atticus Finch figure to hold my hand.
Lynn Pilkington
“Told through the eyes of young Scout Finch”
It’s been 55 years since To Kill a Mockingbird hit the bookshelves and 53 years since it opened on the big screen.
Now on stage, it’s still told through the eyes of young Scout Finch as she, her brother Jem and their friend, Dill Harris follow the Finch children’s lawyer father Atticus. Adored by his children he might be, but he angers the local community by defending a young black man, Tom Robinson, who has been falsely accused of raping a white woman.
A positive element of the performance was the stage lights changing from orange to blue alongside the changing seasons, giving the audience the feel of the hot and cold weather. The cast moved the set and played the part of narrator, in their own accents before changing to thick ‘deep south’ ones.
With the help of the chalk drawings on the floor, we could see Maycomb County for how it was to the children, which made it easier to see which direction the actors were going in.
However, some issues lay in the second half of the show, which focused on the trial. It was heavy on dialogue, large chunks of which were followed by long pauses between the actor’s lines.
The house lights were kept on, making it difficult to know that the show had begun, which was a bit unsettling. But despite these flaws, it was still enjoyable and made for a great night out.
Jenny Kelly
“I found myself on the edge of my seat”
It’s the year 1936 in the deep South in Alabama; the scene is set for “To Kill A Mockingbird”, Christopher Sergel’s adaptation of the classic novel by Harper Lee.
There is no curtain here: instead we see all the characters coming onto the centre of the stage reading the book. After their introduction, we meet Jean Louise, or “Scout”. She’s not your average six year old of the time – there are no dresses or pretty accessories here.
She’s close to her older brother Jem and their best friend Dill – those are the people she relies on. She is mature beyond her years, and isn’t afraid to speak her mind.
Scout and Jem’s mum died when they were very young. As the audience we can see how this affects them in day-to-day living. One scene that I thought was particularly strong was when Scout and Jem are in their bed and Scout’s asking questions about what her mum was like when she was still alive. These young actors did a fantastic job making this scene come to life with their emotions.
I, probably unlike the majority of the audience, had never read the novel, or even seen the movie and though after some research I had an idea what to expect, the story was new to me. The majority of the second half is a court scene, where Mayella, a white girl accuses Tom, a black man of rape.
As we heard the two sides their story – first from Mayella then Tom, I found myself on the edge of my seat: who was telling the truth? The other characters are sitting in silence with a range of emotion; some of them are angry, nervous, afraid, worried, happy and crying. When Tom is found guilty the people who care about him are devastated by the result. Scout can’t believe it’s happening.
The props and lighting suited the setting of Alabama; they gave a sense of the dry and rural setting in times long gone by. The stage lighting made me feel like a character on stage instead of reviewing from the audience. I expected the costumes to be more suited to the era; for example long dresses and hair tied back, but the costumes were modern, with characters wearing jeans.
The actors’ accents were convincingly ‘deep south’. Scout’s accent was realistic and it came across on stage. And when I heard Miss Dubouses’ accent I noted it straight away – it was so good.
This show wouldn’t be what I would usually go and see at the theatre, but after seeing it I’m going to mix it up with musicals, novels and real life stories.
Chloe Morrison
To Kill a Mockingbird: adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel. Based on the novel by Harper Lee
Glasgow and Edinburgh dates have now passed but you can still see the performance in Aberdeen at Her Majesty’s Theatre between the 16th-21st of February. www.tokillamockingbirdplay.com
