One of the greatest novels ever written, To Kill a Mockingbird, is now a brand-new stage production. Come on a nail-biting journey back in time, three years into the great depression, and to the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Where Atticus Finch, an old white lawyer is appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a young white woman and must face a public trial in a majority white town, and as the trial winds up, tensions in the town reach breaking point. When neighbor can turn on neighbor, and anybody could become the next attacker, or a fresh body in the street. Grab your tickets now and come watch the troubles play out.
To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. Scout Finch and her older brother, Jem, live with their widowed father Atticus, a middle-aged lawyer. When a young white woman, Mayella Ewell is raped, Judge Taylor appoints Atticus to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of the deed. Atticus agrees to defend Tom to the very best of his ability, even though many of Maycomb’s citizens disapprove. During the course of the trial, a group of men intent on lynching Tom arrive at the Finch home, but soon disperse after Scout recognizes and speaks out to a classmate’s father. Back at the trial, which is nearing its end, Atticus reveals that Mayella made sexual advances toward Tom, resulting in her being beaten by her father, but the once the jury is done, they decide to convict Tom anyway, and he is later shot dead trying to escape prison.
Despite Tom’s conviction, and later shooting, Mayella father, Bob Ewell is humiliated by the events of the trial and vows revenge against Atticus and Tom Robinson’s widow. Finally, he attacks Jem and Scout while they are walking home after the school Halloween pageant, breaking Jem’s arm. But the kids are rescued by their neighbor, the reclusive Arthur “Boo” Radley, who carries Jem home, and when Sheriff Tate arrives, he discovers old Ewell dead from a knife wound. Atticus thinks that Jem was responsible, but Tate is certain it was Boo. The sheriff decides that, to protect Boo’s privacy, he will report that Ewell simply fell on his own knife.
Winner of the 2019 Tony Award for Best Actress in Featured Role
To Kill a Mockingbird is a 2018 play based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Harper Lee, adapted for the stage by Aaron Sorkin. During production the show was involved in two different legal disputes, one with the Harper Lee estate over Sorkin’s depiction of Atticus departing from the original novel, and the other against licensed productions of the Christopher Sergel adaptation which were shut down as to not compete against the new Aaron Sorkin version. The show opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on December 13, 2018 and went on to play to sold out houses every single night, never once playing to an empty seat. The play opened in London’s West End at the Gielgud Theatre in March 2022.
The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by American author Harper Lee was published in 1960 and became an instant success, selling over 50 million copies worldwide, winning the most prestigious of literary prizes, inspired an Academy Award-winning film in 1962, starring Gregory Peck, and is taught in countless school classrooms all over the country. However, the novel is constantly under attack by religious, civic, and parents’ groups demanding that it be removed from school libraries and classroom curriculums. Despite dealing with the serious issues of rape and racial inequality, the novel is renowned for its warmth and humor, and is probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America.
Aaron Sorkin’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Adaptation Walks the Walk. Review by Sara Holdren of New York Magazine.
“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway, and you see it through no matter what.” You won’t hear Atticus Finch say those words to his son Jem in the To Kill a Mockingbird now alighting on Broadway. The banners outside the theater proclaim, in all capital letters, “HARPER LEE’S TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD,” but the smaller print tells the truth: “A new play by Aaron Sorkin.”
The New York Times Critic’s Pick TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is “the most successful American play in Broadway history. It has not played to a single empty seat”
Five Stars! “An emotionally shattering landmark production of an American classic” – Rolling Stone
“A real phenomenon. Majestic and incandescent!” – New York Magazine
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is “The greatest novel of all time” – Chicago Tribune, has quickly become, “one of the greatest plays in history” – NPR.
“Brimming with humor, generous heart and gritty provocation, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is as timely as it is timeless.” – Rolling Stone
“All rise. A transfixing act of theatrical storytelling that makes us hang on every word as if experiencing the story for the first time.” – The Hollywood Reporter
