‘Mockingbird’ Delivers an Emotional Gut Punch

By Sandi Masori

SAN DIEGO — In the past I’ve always associated driving the crazy spiral parking garage adjacent to the San Diego Civic Theatre with going to see a musical.  In spite of being a drama and not a musical, Aaron Sorkin’s version of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, in its first National tour since being on Broadway, did not disappoint.

The show is similar to the original 1960 novel and 1962 movie, with a few differences.  Whereas Atticus Finch was the big hero in the original book and movie, in the play he has some flaws.  His big one is his belief that everyone deserves respect, even if, as his housekeeper Calpurnia (played by Jacqueline Williams) says, respecting them disrespects someone else.

Admittedly, I haven’t read the book since high school, so I can only point out a few of the many differences.  What’s the same though is the emotion and horror that the play, book and movie evoke.  The terrible realization that people can be so horrible to one another, and that in six decades since the movie, we haven’t come that far.

Here’s a quick synopsis of the plot:

in 1930s Alabama, Tim Robinson, a Black man, is accused of a rape and assault that he didn’t commit, and that he could not have committed. Most of the town was more than willing to convict him and send him to the electric chair for his “crime” of being Black.  Atticus Finch, the hero, knows that he’s innocent and is persuaded by the judge who wants a fair trial to represent him.  Bob Ewell played by Joey Collins is the villain of the play  Ewell, a racist Klan member, raped his own daughter and is trying to blame the crime on Robinson.

The story is narrated in part by Atticus’ children Scout and Jem Finch (Melanie Moore and Justin Mark), and in part through the action scenes.

The audience definitely recognized the actor who played Atticus Finch, Richard Thomas, a well-known Broadway and screen actor probably best known for his portrayal of John Boy in the long-running television series The Waltons.   His performance was exactly what you would hope from such a seasoned actor, flawless and believable.  Other stand-out actors were Williams who played Calpernia, and Yaegal T. Welch who played defendant Robinson.

As always, when I’m reviewing for San Diego Jewish World, I’m looking for the Jewish angle in each performance.  When I saw that the playwright was Jewish, I knew I would easily find it.  There are two instances where Atticus is arguing with villain Bob Ewell and standing up for what is right.  He refuses to participate in the racist ideology and course of action that Ewell wants. Ewell analyzes Finch’s name and says that by his name he’s obviously Protestant, but he clearly has some “Hebraic seasonings.” In another scene, he tells Finch that it’s “the Jew” in him that makes him so stubborn.   There was a big gasp in the audience at the “Hebraic seasonings” line, so I’m thinking that many in the audience were members of the tribe.

On the first Wednesday of a show run, after the performance, the Civic Theatre hosts a “chat back” where some of the actors will come out and talk with the remaining audience members, usually a pretty intimate group.  Actors Arianna Gayle Stucki and Mary Badham who played Mayella Ewell and Old Lady Dubose respectively came out to chat with us.  (Badham also played Scout in the 1960 movie). I had the opportunity to ask a question, so I asked about those lines.  I wanted to know if they were part of the original book, or written in by Sorkin.  The actors confirmed that those lines were put in by Sorkin.

A 9^th-grade English teacher in the audience let me know that in the book there is a scene where one of the students in Scout’s classroom does a report on Hitler and what he’s doing to the Jews, and Scout wonders if it’s really that different from what was happening in Alabama.

That got me to wondering, did Sorkin put those lines in to make up for that unused scene, or to point out and remind us that when hate comes around, it’s not stopping with just one group.  Those that hate Black people, equally hate us Jews as well.  When they start to come for one group, it’s only a matter of time before they come for us too.

I don’t want to end this review on such a down note, but the play is as evocative and thought-provoking as you might think and you may well be left with an unsettled feeling, as intended.  It’s no reason not to go though, while delivering the gut punching message, it’s very entertaining and extremely well done.  You will not be checking your watch, though it runs about 3 hours.  I highly recommend giving it a watch. It plays through December 4th.

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Sandi Masori is a theatre reviewer for San Diego Jewish World.  When she’s not watching the best shows in town, she loves traveling and exploring cultures, helping people self-publish, and being a mom to her two boys.