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REVIEW: To Kill a Mockingbird

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To Kill A Mockingbird by Lee, , Writer - Harper Lee, Adapter/Playwright – Aaron Sorkin, Director – Bartlett Sher, Associate Director – Louisa Muller, Set Designer – Miriam Buether, Design Supervisor – Ed Pierce, Costume Designer – Ann Roth, Lighting Designer – Jennifer Tipton, Sound Designer – Scott Lehrer, Composer (Original Score) – Adam Guettel, Musical Supervisor – Kimberley Grigsby, Casting Director – Serena Hill CDG, Hair and Wigs Designer – Campbell Young Associates, Resident Director – Laurence Belcher, Cultural Coordinator – Tavia Jefferson, (UK & Ireland tour, opening at Leeds Playhouse, 2025) Atticus Finch – Richard Coyle, Scout Finch – Anna Munden, Jem Finch – Gabriel Scott, Dill Harris – Dylan Malyn, Calpurnia – Andrea Davy, Judge Taylor – Stephen Boxer, Tom Robinson – Aaron Shosanya, Bob Ewell – Oscar Pearce, Mayella Ewell – Evie Hargreaves, Horace Gilmer – Richard Dempsey, Mrs Dubose – Sarah Finigan, Miss Stephanie / Dill’s Mother – Phillipa Flynn, Mr Cunningham / Boo Radley – Harry Attwell, Sheriff Heck Tate – Colin R Campbell, Link Deas – Simon Hepworth, Ensemble – Paul Albertson, Ensemble – James Mitchell, Ensemble – Jonathan Rubin, Ensemble – Cheryl Burniston, Ensemble – Charlotte Luxford, Ensemble – Oyin Orija, Ensemble – Tiwai Muza, Ensemble – Tom Brace-Jenkins, Ensemble – John J. O’Hagan

To Kill A Mockingbird by Lee, , Writer - Harper Lee, Adapter/Playwright – Aaron Sorkin, Director – Bartlett Sher, Associate Director – Louisa Muller, Set Designer – Miriam Buether, Design Supervisor – Ed Pierce, Costume Designer – Ann Roth, Lighting Designer – Jennifer Tipton, Sound Designer – Scott Lehrer, Composer (Original Score) – Adam Guettel, Musical Supervisor – Kimberley Grigsby, Casting Director – Serena Hill CDG, Hair and Wigs Designer – Campbell Young Associates, Resident Director – Laurence Belcher, Cultural Coordinator – Tavia Jefferson, (UK & Ireland tour, opening at Leeds Playhouse, 2025) Atticus Finch – Richard Coyle, Scout Finch – Anna Munden, Jem Finch – Gabriel Scott, Dill Harris – Dylan Malyn, Calpurnia – Andrea Davy, Judge Taylor – Stephen Boxer, Tom Robinson – Aaron Shosanya, Bob Ewell – Oscar Pearce, Mayella Ewell – Evie Hargreaves, Horace Gilmer – Richard Dempsey, Mrs Dubose – Sarah Finigan, Miss Stephanie / Dill’s Mother – Phillipa Flynn, Mr Cunningham / Boo Radley – Harry Attwell, Sheriff Heck Tate – Colin R Campbell, Link Deas – Simon Hepworth, Ensemble – Paul Albertson, Ensemble – James Mitchell, Ensemble – Jonathan Rubin, Ensemble – Cheryl Burniston, Ensemble – Charlotte Luxford, Ensemble – Oyin Orija, Ensemble – Tiwai Muza, Ensemble – Tom Brace-Jenkins, Ensemble – John J. O’Hagan

Rating: 5 out of 5.

“Messy and peaceful, as life has always been – but rarely shown so expertly on stage.”

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, directed by Aaron Sorkin, has landed in The Lowry. The Pulitzer Prize winning novel many UK school children have and continue to study has been expertly adapted for the stage. Sorkin’s interpretation promises to offer a new perspective into the famed story, and expectations were surely met.

Set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930s, To Kill a Mockingbird explores racial inequality in the Deep South. Through a rape case against cotton farmer Tom Robinson, the audience bears witness to the struggle and challenges of post-Civil War Southern USA. With many pockets of Maycomb’s community to explore, all of the characters come together to paint a picture of a society wrestling with difficult moral questions.

Traditionally told through the eyes of children, Sorkin’s representation of the novel shifts more focus to lawyer and father, and now protagonist Atticus Finch. This Atticus has a deeper level of conflict, allowing him to feel more relatable as he grows on stage and becomes authentically human, rather than the unwavering beacon of integrity many readers remember. Using the children as narrators alongside the unfolding of events, rather than adults recounting the story, shifts the perspective from the children being observers to being actively involved, adding further depth to the piece. Fans of the novel need not worry – the story feels enriched rather than diminished by this interpretation.

Sorkin’s script invites audiences to sit in discomfort. The brutal use of language, the exposure of extremist groups, and the disgust of this fictional yet uncomfortably recognisable humanity are juxtaposed against the morality of the few, the gentle teachings of acceptance, and the importance of reflection. It is messy and peaceful, as life has always been, but rarely demonstrated so expertly on stage.

Much of this success is down to the incredible talent across the cast. John J. O’Hagan’s Atticus is a pleasure to witness, effortlessly carrying the weight of such a well-loved character while allowing us to see his growth in this new light. Andrea Davy’s Calpurnia is a delight. With so much of her emotion conveyed without words for much of the play, her ability to create tension is remarkable. Anna Munden’s Scout, Gabriel Scott’s Jem and Dylan Malyn’s Dill all bring the vibrancy hoped for in these characters, often providing gentle comedic relief while also conveying the story’s heavier emotions. Other standout performances include James Mitchell’s Link Deas, whose key scene lingers long after the curtain falls, and Evie Hargreaves’s Mayella Ewell, whose time on the stand is a masterclass in unsettlement.

Miriam Buether’s set allows the stage to be transformed in a clever yet immersive way. Seeing principal actors involved in the transition of scenes subtly reinforces the theme of equality in a quietly effective manner. Ann Roth’s costumes further ground the audience in the period, reminding us of the narrators’ youth even as the maturity of the story remains unquestionable.

To Kill a Mockingbird has rightly earned its accolades over the last 66 years. Sorkin’s interpretation is a joy to witness, from the incisive writing to the remarkable performances, and it is well worth revisiting – or being introduced to – this powerful story. To Kill a Mockingbird runs at The Lowry until 24th January, tickets are available here.

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