Review: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD at Wharton Center is a Thoughtful Tale of Family and Race in the 1930's Deep South

Through this Sunday, October 8th, you can catch the new production of To Kill a Mockingbird at Wharton Center in East Lansing. Written by acclaimed play and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, To Kill a Mockingbird is based on the original 1960 novel of the same name by Harper Lee. While this isn’t the first iteration of this book on stage, it is one that is perhaps a bit more creative than the original play, as actor Steven Lee Johnson discussed in our interview. 

To Kill a Mockingbird is first and foremost a story about race relations in 1930's Alabama. The story details what happens when Atticus Finch, a lawyer, takes on the court case of a 25-year-old Black man accused of raping a 19-year-old White woman. In this version of the play, you’ll see the story narrated by Atticus’s two children, Jem and Scout, and their friend, Dill. You’ll see the trial played out in front of you in vivid detail, as well as the circumstances before and the consequences afterward. 

This play is much more than your middle school’s English reading assignment. For the duration of the play, audiences are enveloped in this world we’ve learned so much but may not have gotten the chance to see with our own eyes. In turn, getting the opportunity to explore this world comes with the harsh realities of that time in history. This play does not hesitate to make extensive usage of the racist language of the time, feature the Klan in a key plot point, and tell the gruesome details of the supposed crime that took place. While these perhaps make the story hard to digest, it’s exactly this what also makes the story feel authentic. It is a visceral 3 hours that will surely leave you thinking about what you saw for a long time. 

While the show overall was quite well done from an acting standpoint to staging, there are a few notes audiences should be aware of committing to a ticket. In addition to the content discussed above, the show also bounces between different times throughout the duration. Consequently, this is not a show to go into for an easygoing night at the theatre; you will need to be paying attention in order to follow along. Further, as the Southern accents oftentimes make it hard to understand what’s being said – and perhaps the sound could have been louder as well – it may be in your best interest to read up on the basic plot if you’re unfamiliar with it or it has been awhile since you’ve engaged with the material.

Though the script slows at times, the show is kept engaging through the tireless work of the cast and crew on the show, including Richard Thomas as Atticus Finch, Maeve Moynihan as Scout, Jacqueline Williams as Calpurnia, Justin Mark as Jem, Yaegel T. Welch as Tom, Steven Lee Johnson as Dill, and everyone else who worked or works on the show. As you’ll see, this is not an easy show to do eight times a week. And yet, this team exceeds expectations. 

Tickets for To Kill a Mockingbird are on sale now at Wharton Center's official ticketing outlets: online at whartoncenter.com, at the official Wharton Center Ticket
Office or by calling 1-800-WHARTON.

To keep updated with To Kill a Mockingbird as they travel around the country on their national tour, visit their website at tokillamockingbirdbroadway.com, and follow them on Twitter at @mockingbirdbway, on Instagram at @mockingbirdbway and on Facebook at facebook.com/tokillamockingbirdbway.