TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Gielgud Theatre until November 19 gielgudtheatre.co.uk
POWERFUL. Important. Deeply moving. This adaptation of Harper Lee’s 1960 novel about race relations and a miscarriage of justice in the 1930s’ Deep South is London’s first great piece of original theatre this year. It has already been extended until November.
The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin’s script and Broadway legend Bartlett Sher’s direction shine, of course. The revelation is Rafe Spall. Utterly commanding, he radiates liberal lawyer Atticus Finch’s moral strength, wit, warmth and humanity – as well as his very human flaws.
The role of black family maid Calpurnia (Pamela Nomvete) has been beefed up to challenge his privileged high ground. Hurt by his self-satisfied assertion that he tries to respect everyone, even racists, she retorts, “No matter who you disrespect.” Played by adults, Atticus’s children and their odd, lonely neighbour Dill (a heartbreaking David Moorst) narrate the events of the trial in which a clearly innocent black man is accused of raping a white girl.
Some of the portrayals are broadly sketched, particularly the repugnantly racist townsfolk, but then they are filtered through young eyes. Sorkin has always traded in liberal fantasy tempered by a steadying eye on reality, and he distressingly revealed that all of the hate speech on stage is lifted directly from alt-right websites.
The beautiful sets hypnotically form and reform, endlessly shifting between the Finch front porch, the courthouse and prison – but always returning to the family home which is where the heart and hope of the story lie.
Atticus’s belief in justice and equality for all men is too far ahead of its time but he sows powerful seeds for the future, even as we look around and wonder how much has changed.
The heavy themes are leavened with enormous joy and humour and a movingly redemptive subplot about shunned outcast Boo Radley. “All rise” rings out in the courtroom but it’s also an uplifting rallying cry to our own consciences and humanity. Overwhelmed, I wept as I rose at the end.