Review: ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ a fresh stage classic

Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1960 novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and the 1962 film of the same name, starring Gregory Peck in his Academy Award-winning role as Atticus Finch, are both classics, focusing on the loss of childhood innocence amid the ever-present racism in Alabama in the mid-1930s. Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin’s new stage adaptation of the story, which was nominated for nine Tony Awards in 2019, is a 21st century classic in its own right.

The national touring production is only in Chicago through Sunday, May 29, and this is a must-see for any teen or adult who needs a reminder of what common decency looks like and what a well-performed, intense drama looks like.

Justin Mark (Jem Finch, from left), Richard Thomas (Atticus Finch), Melanie Moore (Scout Finch) and Steven Lee Johnson (Dill Harris).

Speaking of awards, this Broadway In Chicago production has an Emmy Award winner as its lead. Richard Thomas – yes, John-Boy Walton for those who remember the long-running CBS series – is perfectly cast as Atticus, an attorney and widowed father of a young girl, Scout (Melanie Moore), and her slightly older brother, Jem (Justin Mark).

Atticus, the “most honest and decent person” in town, according to his children, believes in the good within every person. He wants Scout, Jem, and their friend visiting for the summer, Dill (Steven Lee Johnson), to treat everyone with civility and kindness, including the never-seen Arthur “Boo” Radley, who has been a recluse for years in his eerie home up the street; Mrs. Henry Dubose (Mary Badham, who – at age 10 – was cast as Scout in the ’62 movie), whose morphine addiction doesn’t affect her sharp tongue when it comes to Scout (“You ugly little girl!”) and her family; “town drunk” Link Deas (Anthony Natale); and even Bob Ewell (Joey Collins).

Richard Thomas (Atticus Finch, from left) and Yaegel T. Welch (Tom Robinson).

Ewell, dripping with racism and disdain, views Atticus as his enemy when the lawyer decides to defend Tom Robinson (Yaegel T. Welch), a Black man on trial for allegedly raping Ewell’s white daughter, Mayella (Arianna Gayle Stucki). In one exchange outside the Finch home, Ewell doesn’t veil his threat at all: “One tree, two ropes, Mr. Finch.”

Mary Badham, the Oscar-nominated original Scout in the famed film appears as Mrs. Henry Dubose.

In the script by Sorkin – whose dialogue in “The West Wing” episodes always amazed me with its wit and intelligence – events of that fateful summer and fall are narrated by Scout, Jem and Dill. The three – played by adult actors who seamlessly slip into their characters’ younger selves when necessary – directly address the audience with not only the information needed to set each scene, but also their own candid comments. For instance, referring to Deas, they said that while others in town enjoyed liquor, he “had the official title” (of town drunk).

Humorous lines like that, sprinkled throughout the play, provided the release the audience needed after serious courtroom scenes, especially the cross-examination of Mayella (Stucki’s transformation from meek/shy to outrage is worth the price of your ticket alone) and the testimony of the defendant himself, whose story differs sharply from the one related by Mayella and her father.

Arianna Gayle Stucki (Mayella Ewell, from left), Richard Thomas (Atticus Finch), Stephen Elrod (Bailiff), Richard Poe (Judge Taylor), Greg Wood (Mr. Roscoe) and Joey Collins (Bob Ewell).

Under the direction of Bartlett Sher, who was nominated for a Tony for directing “Mockingbird” on Broadway, we get to know all of these characters very well, including Calpurnia (Jacqueline Williams), the Finch family’s Black housekeeper/cook/confidante.

Yaegel T. Welch (Tom Robinson, from left), Stephen Elrod, Jacqueline Williams (Calpurnia) and Richard Thomas (Atticus Finch).

She and Atticus have had a sister-brother type of relationship for years, but one mystery Atticus wants to solve at the time of the Robinson trial is why she’s become passive-aggressive toward him. When we find out the reason late in the play, it makes it clear that while Atticus may not say the “N” word – which is uttered occasionally by others, be advised – his attitude may need an adjustment, too.

Williams, Moore, Welch, Stucki, Collins and Thomas all bring their A game – as do the other 75% of the cast – from Judge Taylor (Richard Poe) burying his head in his hands after a stupefying question by the prosecution, to Mark as Jem, showing his father that he’s definitely matured. “You’re not a boy anymore, are you?” Atticus asks. Jem responds with a simple “No,” to which Atticus gently replies, “It’s too bad; you should have told me.”

The set ranges from minimalist (a few set pieces for an attorney-client discussion in prison) to a sizable courtroom where the walls peel back to a full porch at the Finch home. Kudos go to scenic designer Miriam Buether; with the help of actors to position/connect the sets, and the connecting narration by Scout, Jem and Dill, there’s no gap between scenes. With a runtime of about two hours and 45 minutes (including an intermission), smooth set changes are definitely appreciated.

For all the reasons above, and more, “To Kill a Mockingbird” is outstanding theater. Quality drama with this level of nationally recognized talent deserves our support.

• Paul Lockwood is a singer, local theater actor, Grace Lutheran Church (Woodstock) and Toastmasters member, occasional theater reviewer, podcaster, columnist, and past president of TownSquare Players. He’s lived in Woodstock for more than 21 years.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “To Kill a Mockingbird”

WHERE: James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago

WHEN: Performances through May 29; masks required

COST: $35 to $149

INFORMATION: BroadwayInChicago.com