MK Theatre: How to kill a mockingbird
Rating: ★★★★★
Running Dates: Tue 19 May - Sat 23 May 2026
Where to see it: MK Theatre
Duration: 2 hours 50 minutes incl. interval
Photography by Johan Persson
Summary
I remember reading the Harper Lee’s classic book at school although the details have faded. My dad remembered it too, albeit from half a century ago. He came as my plus one because he wanted to see what Aaron Sorkin had done with this near sacred story. Sorkin being the writer of the best tv series ever (his words) The West Wing. Before my time !.
The story is well known so I won’t go into too much detail. A black man, Tom Robinson, is accused of raping a white woman in a racially segregated small southern town, Maycomb, in the 1930s. Atticus Finch, a decent white man, becomes his defence lawyer and risks being ostracised by his community as a result. Atticus “proves” that Tom, who only has the use of one arm, could not possibly have committed the crime. Everyone in the courtroom can see he is innocent but the all white jury still finds him guilty because they cannot accept the word of a black man over a white woman and because of social pressure to maintain the racial hierarchy. Tom’s claim that he felt sorry for the alleged victim, Mayella Ewell, because of the way she was treated by her family was seen as having ideas above his station.
The book is narrated by Scout, Atticus’s daughter. Sorkin has expanded the narrators to include her brother Jem and his best friend Dill. This has the effect of quickening the pace throughout and enables Sorkin to draw out some of the key themes of the story through them. Dill represents childhood innocence and is forced to grow up by the injustice unfolding in front of him. Jem challenges Atticus’s view that you should always be civil to everyone no matter how uncivil they are to you or to others. Atticus saw the good in both communities but Jem demonstrated that being nice sometimes just isn’t enough.
Another change from the book is the expanded role of the Finch family’s black maid Calpurnia. In the book the black characters are passive and almost silent. Calpurnia now provides a black persons’ perspective on events in Maycomb and criticises Atticus for expecting her to be grateful for doing what is clearly the right thing.
Despite the blatant injustice of the trial the story adds a degree of nuance through the side story of Boo Radley. He lives near the Finch family but has been kept inside by an abusive father for years. Town gossip and myth makes him out to be a monster and he is an object of fascination to the three children. He is the symbolic mockingbird of the story, an innocent being harmed by prejudice. The children’s fear turns to empathy as they begin to understand him and eventually he saves them from the nasty Bob Ewell, father of Mayella, stabbing him to death. The judge, sheriff and Atticus conspire to “do the right thing” by this kind and gentle man and report the death as an accident.
Photography by Johan Persson
The audience were glued to the stage throughout as the pace was so fast and the story so gripping and emotional. The stage as set in two ways but it felt like numerous. The set was inbetween Atticus’ porch and the court itself, and it couldn’t have rode us along the journey more if it tried. It certainly deserved the standing ovation at the end and I can see why it became the highest grossing play ever on Broadway.
My favourite characters were Scout, played exuberantly by Anna Munden and Dill, played by Dylan Malyn making his debut on the professional stage.
There are a lot of good theatre productions around but this is definitely a “Must See”.
Tickets can be purchased here.
Written by David Moyle and Charlotte Moyle
