FAMED BOOK HITS BOARDS
Mockingbird is a winner
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Where: Colonel By Secondary School Director: Dan Wright Welcome to mid-1930 Maycomb, Ala.: the summers were hotter, the rumours were thicker and somewhere along a dusty old street, a six-year-old tomboy and her brother were trying to make Boo Radley come out.
It’s been 55 years since Harper Lee’s beloved novel first appeared, yet somehow To Kill a Mockingbird hasn’t lost its relevance. In a stage production brimming with emotion, candour, and razor-sharp clarity, Colonel By Secondary School brought the compelling southern tale to life.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a modern classic. Set in the American South in the midst of Jim Crow segregation, it follows six-yearold Scout Finch’s exposure to the subtle bigotry and rampant racism of her town. When her lawyer father, Atticus, is called upon to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of assaulting a white woman, it takes all of Scout’s ingenuity — and some guidance from those around her — to come to terms with some of humanity’s most misguided ways.
A standout feature of Colonel By’s production was its authenticity. Chemistry between characters was wholly believable, conveying everything from extreme tension to all the normal exchanges typical of small-town life. Costumes and makeup were seamless across the spectrum of young and old roles, and technological aspects such as sound, lighting and sets were executed impressively. Regardless of role size or type, powerful performances were consistently delivered true-to-form.
As Scout, Mikayla Boulé gave an endearing and convincing performance, communicating appropriate amounts of naïveté and childlike energy. Her adult counterpart, Jean Louise Finch, was pensively played by Katrina Parsche. Henry Wells breathed life into the noble Atticus Finch.
Alessandro Vatieri as Jem and Gabriel Kronfeld as Dill both gave first-rate performances, furnishing an easy blend of humour and juvenile curiosity. Kika Otiono infused magnificent sass into the characteristic wisecracks of Calpurnia, the Finch’s maid, and Amaru Andia-Rodriguez delivered a hair-raising performance as Tom Robinson.
Matthew McGuire did a terrific job of adopting the required villainy of malicious town figure Bob Ewell. As his daughter Mayella Ewell, Molly Wilkes gave a convincing portrayal of a woman trapped in the recesses of a flawed political system.
Gorgeous foliage bordered the well-designed, meticulous sets. The stage crew did a laudable job of manoeuvring various objects around and the beautifully toned lighting coloured each scene. The sound elements — both ambient and dialogue-required — were well balanced.