To Kill a Mockingbird Broadway Review

By: Justin McCarthy-Hill

Have you been to a broadway show recently? Maybe you saw signs for the play adaptation of Harper Lee’s classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. I had the chance to go see the amazing performance by actor Jeff Daniels and his co-stars last week, and it was one of the most powerful, captivating, relevant Broadway shows I have ever witnessed. It was true to the book, while some modern social commentary and comedic elements were also included. The structure of the play was creative, and a spin was put on some of the characters. Every new scene in the production brought a new surprise, and the climax was almost exactly as I had envisioned it to be from the book.

The actors portrayed the characters flawlessly, from the relationships between the protagonists and the social topics faced in the play. house maid, cook, and the nanny Calpurnia is a more visibly relevant character in this production. She tries to infuse protagonist Atticus Finch’s thinking and make sure he has the perspective of an African American during this time period. In an interview with CBS reporters, actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson, who portrays Calpurnia, stated “[To Kill A Mockingbird] is still occurring. Tom’s death is still happening. The idea of justice is still universally being discussed.”

Playwright Aaron Sorkin crafts every segment and movement perfectly and I was excited for more by intermission. Although there are differences between the book and the play, I was not comparing the two as I watched the Broadway version. As said by Sorkin himself, “There is no event in the play that doesn’t occur in the book - I haven’t added new things. It is the same events, we are just taking another look at them.” I hope you will take time to watch this play, because its craft and execution are like no other.