To Kill a Mockingbird at Gielgud Theatre
Harper Lee’s renowned story is introduced by an endearing Scout Finch. Played by Gwyneth Keyworth, Scout leads bouts of narration throughout, accompanied by Jem (Harry Redding) and their neighbour for the summer, Dill (David Moorst). Moorst’s performance stands out amidst this narrative trio: his characterisation brings a welcome lightness to his tête-à-têtes with Jem and Scout (in thick and only occasionally faltering Alabama accents), offsetting the gravity of the story of Tom Robinson’s ill-fated trial with a welcome comic levity.
Rafe Spall delivers an incendiary Atticus Finch, commanding when the scene warrants it, but with a performance that creates space for the stakes of other key characters to be explored. Among these is Patrick O’Kane’s utterly monstrous Bob Ewell, whose venomous diatribes against the black population capture an unsettlingly contemporary nationalistic sentiment as much they invoke the disillusionment of a post-civil war, Great Depression-era Deep South. Beacons of decency and disillusionment respectively, explosive exchanges between Atticus and Bob are among the strongest elements of director Bartlett Sher’s assured production.
Designed by Miriam Buether, the atmospheric stage production undergoes slick transitions, shifting the scene from the Maycomb courthouse, to the street, to Atticus’s fabled porch, complete with standalone screen door. The latter setting is the principal realm of Calpurnia, the Finch family’s maid, whom Scout affectionately observes has “been in my family longer than I have”. Playwright Aaron Sorkin’s Calpurnia is decidedly more outspoken than the minor character of Lee’s novel; this departure from the original material is thoughtfully developed and further elevated by Pamela Nomvete’s measured performance, which places Calpurnia as a grounding force and moral sounding board for Atticus.
Jude Owusu’s Tom also has markedly more agency in Sorkin’s play. One blistering scene between Atticus and Tom, preparing for the latter’s trial by an all-white jury, delivers a line which keenly imparts the impossible injustice of his plight: “I was guilty as soon as I was accused.” Adapted from Lee’s novel and reattributed from Scout to be uttered instead by Tom, in light of the pervasive continuation of racial injustice the world over, this alteration is emblematic of the contemporary resonance Sorkin’s adaptation carries throughout. Spall’s captivating turn as Atticus enthrals as he prepares his defendant and his family for the moral showdown of the century.
Lauren Devine
To Kill a Mockingbird is at Gielgud Theatre until 13th August 2022. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.
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