To Kill A Mockingbird Reviews

B N Mitchell from Boston, Massachusetts

FAV BOOK, MOVIE & SCREENPLAY WRITER - BUT NOT EXACTLY A HOMERUN

When asked what my favorite book & movie are, my answer has always been the same - TKAM. Add Alan Sorkin talent (West Wing is my favorite TV show) and it should have been a perfect storm. This production is not a staged version of the film as some people may expect, but is a fresh retelling of a classic. Most of the performances were great - especially Melanie Moore & Steven Lee Johnson as Scout & Dill. But beloved actor Richard Thomas just didn't have the gravitas on stage to capture the presense of a character such as Atticus Finch. He spoke way too fast for a southern man and didn't carry himself with the strength of Gregory Peck or my literary vision of the character. Having the actor who portrayed the screen version of Scout, Mary Badham, seen here in a supporting role was a thrill. The play strays from the original content's seriousness. Albeit some very funny & timely lines were incorporated, it took away from the important issues raised. The inclusion of a deaf actor portraying a non-deaf character gladdened my heart especially during the recent successes of films & deaf actors receiving accolades.

from Boston, Massachusetts

FROM CAPE COD

What a wonderful novel but why was there not sound amplication for this production? The novel can be read in three hours but this play was bit too long.

Tpl from Chicago, Illinois

GREAT BUT I HAVE NOTES

It was a great show but there was a little too much exposition by the kids. They need to cut about 10 minutes of exposition and get the lead narrator to use her normal voice versus the in and out Forrest Gump impersonation. Then it would be perfect. Atticus was awesome, the judge was terrific, the evil guy was solid, his daughter was the understudy and she did a fantastic job! Life is like a box of chocolates and this show was a good one.

GNA from Seattle, Washington

GREAT PERFORMANCE

The actors did a phenomenal job. The play did a great job of capturing the seriousness of the story while providing some lightness as well. I think everyone who sees the play should have read the book or know something about the story as to not be surprised. If you're sensitive to the N word, be prepared. It was a word used regularly during that era, and had to be used in the story to convey the message of the extremely ignorant, hateful, rascist of that time. I brought my 15 year old son to see it, his English class read the book last year. I was a little nervous taking a black teen boy to see such a play, I wasn't sure how it would make him feel, but he thoroughly enjoyed the show and said it was better than the book. It was a story of American history, that many children his age have never seen, but should, because it is our history, yet, has many parallels today. A must see for all.

Bobby from Tempe, Arizona

GREAT SHOW TERRIBLE AUDIENCE

Loved the show but the audience was extremely inconsiderate and distracting. Someone’s cell phone went off continuously for several minutes during an intense scene. I was afraid they were going to stop the show.

Anita Mattos from Costa Mesa, California

GREAT, EXCEPT FOR CHARACTERIZATION OF ATTICUS

The flow of the story in and out of the courtroom is brilliant and the cast does a great job. However, the liberties taken with Atticus’s character ruin him as the most noble character in literature. He would never say, “You’re welcome” under his breath to Calpurnia, would never be mean to Mayella in the courtroom, and he would certainly never manhandle Bob Ewell, even in the book when he was spit upon in the face. Left with a sick feeling in my stomach knowing that it must have been presumed that a modern crowd would find his original character too meek.

Cindy Ireland from Hartford, Connecticut

OVERALL EXCELLENT

Super powerful play, with interesting takes on a classic book. Impressive acting. I’ve read the book and seen the movie; not sure how many liberties they took with the story itself because it’s been years since I read it. Complaints: Difficult to hear from our Mezzanine seats, though they seemed to turn the volume up at one point. We had poor luck in being behind tall folks and had to crane our necks to see. The seats are tight and our knees bumped against those in front of us. As much as I enjoyed the play, I believe it could have been cut by as much as 20% and been more effective.

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