It’s a text that needs little to no introduction. But here’s a quick one:

Successful lawyer, Atticus Finch, encourages kindness and empathy in his children, but is pushed to the limits of these qualities himself when he resolves to uncover the truth in a town that seems determined to hide it.
 
Set in 1934 Alabama, To Kill a Mockingbird was inspired by novelist Harper Lee’s own childhood and has sold more than 45 million copies worldwide. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature and was long at the top of the banned book lists.

And having seen more classic productions of the story on stage it was excitingly time for a switch-up.

2018 and American writer Aaron Sorkin, celebrated for many things but for me The West Wing is a gift from heaven, is approached to bring an interpretation to Broadway. I was listening to a podcast where he acknowledges the risks and indeed fears of essentially riffing on an origin text that is not only sacred in print but in its film adaption as well. So much so that Sorkin self-deprecatingly describes his first draft as akin to being like a ‘greatest hits version by a cover band.’

Things moved on and Sorkin has once again shown us the magic he brings in his writing. Whilst showing respect and indeed staying faithful to Harper Lee’s powerful story, he adds dimension and depth to characters we know but thanks to this production, know to an even greater degree.

Sorkin’s version serves what Lee has gifted us, and gives us even more.

I came away from watching this phenomenal production at the Lowry Wednesday evening understanding even more about the characters, their humanity (for the good or bad), and the drivers for their actions .

There was humour – yes humour! But be assured in completely the right places. Sorkin is a lover of dialogue (The West Wing gave us those wonderful walking/talking sequences which gave rhythm, wit, insight, back and forth repartee) and it is the dialogue between our characters, and indeed powerful monologues both delivered within the story and as narrative to the audience, which sets this production apart.

Scout (Anna Munden), Jem (Gabriel Scott), Atticus’s children and their new friend Dill (Dylan Malyn) take us along on a journey, the hook being how it came to be that townsman Bob Ewell (Oscar Pearce) came to fatally fall onto his own knife. And this opens up the stage for a shocking story of racism, deep ignorance and fear, as punctuated throughout by the court scenes as Atticus Finch defends black African American Tom Robinson (Aaron Shosanya) against the charge of rape of a white 19 year old Mayella Ewell (Evie Hargreaves) in front of a 12 white man jury of his ‘peers’ . Yes ‘peers’. We’re gonna need some bigger apostrophes…

Indeed, in interviews Sorkin highlights that despite its intentions and perhaps due to when it was written, there is still a ‘white saviour’ element to this story, the two black characters – Robinson and the Finches maid ‘ Calpurnia (Andrea Davy) remain mostly silent in the narrative, as things happen around them and for them. Sorkin has added more of a literal voice to them both and we understand them more as characters as they’re given their rightful proactive place in the narrative (all, of course still within the confines and faithful to the lesser place in society within which they were forced).

Whilst I sing the virtues of this new production and writing, I realise I’m neglecting the specifics of how it has been executed by the creatives. Astonishingly so. Every actor so far mentioned (and every actor I haven’t) embodied the character and lines bestowed on them and brought new life. My full attention were given to each and there was not a moment of what might feel like filler waiting for one of the main players to drive the story forward. I was driven to watch and listen to everything everybody had to say. And believe me, that’s not always a given in theatre, whether consciously or subconsciously.

Atticus Finch. I have to point out that production images used in this blog are not faithful to what and who I saw at press night. Whereas promotional material heavily and naturally has a focus on Richard Coyle as our, essential, hero, it was John J. O’Hagan who stepped into the role this week and now I can’t imagine seeing anybody else as one Atticus Finch. It was his role, lived and breathed and I hope many more audiences get to see O’Hagan throughout the tour.

I want to wax lyrical until I can wax lyrical no more about the text, the themes, the history, the writing, the actors…,but I’m sure my reader (hi mum) just wants to know ‘should I go and see this production at the Lowry sometime between now and 24 January, be it as a lover of the book, a lover of the film, a lover of previous productions or someone who has never even heard of the text?’

Yes. Immediately if not sooner.

To Kill A Mockingbird is at the Lowry, Salford until 24 January. For more details and tickets, head to https://thelowry.com/whats-on/to-kill-a-mockingbird-djh9.

Production images: Johan Persson