To Kill a Mocking Bird

To Kill a Mocking Bird was inspired by Harper Lee’s own childhood experiences, and the novel is set in a small town in Alabama in 1934. A period in time riven by social and racial injustice. Atticus Finch (Richard Coyle) is the town’s lawyer defending Tom Robinson, a black man who has been falsely accused of raping a young woman. Atticus is a morally upright man who not only wants to uphold the law and deliver justice, but also to use his skill and experience to teach his children both the values he upholds and to encourage them to come to appreciate the values of integrity along with an ability to see situations from other perspectives. The play is packed with courtroom tension and many moral complexities.

Richard Coyle (Atticus Finch) emulates the Oscar winning performance of Gregory Peck’s portrayal of the character in the 1962 film. Tonight, Coyle delivered an outstanding performance.

The three children (played by adults) lead the performance narrating directly to the audience, providing many humorous moments along the way whilst displaying a childlike naivety of the dreadful events unfolding behind them. All three should be congratulated on the way in which they seamlessly switched between their narration directly to the audience and then turning to interact with the scene unfolding behind them.

The appalling Ewells were played to perfection by Evie Hargreaves and Oscar Pearce. Their courtroom rantings about white supremacy made for uncomfortable listening.

While the role of Tom Robinson (Aaron Shosanya) is central to the story apart from his courtroom testimony, he has little direct influence within the play.

Sorkin’s adaptation is true to the period making use of language commonplace at the time but which would be totally unacceptable to today’s theatre going audience. The script demands your full attention from the moment the curtain rises until the very end of the performance.

The scenery and sets are large and complex but have been designed by (Miriam Buether) in such a way that the frequent scene changes carried out by the cast were invariably smooth slick and never interrupted the pace of the performance. The lighting was subtle, rarely calling attention to itself. Similarly, the sound design was both minimal and well executed. Despite the Southern accents every word was clear and distinct.

The performance takes us back to a time nearly hundred years ago with dialogue and attitudes that seem so alien in the 21st Century but one only needs to watch our daily news to begin to wonder just how much is still relevant in our world today. This evening the full house rose as one to deliver a well-deserved standing ovation to the cast.

Sheffield Lyceum Until 7th February