To Kill A Mockingbird - Milton Keynes Theatre

The critically acclaimed, Harper Lee’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is in Milton Keynes this week and it will leave you reeling with shock at the injustice.

Successful lawyer, Atticus Finch, encourages kindness and empathy in his children, but is pushed to the limits of these qualities himself when he resolves to uncover the truth in a town that seems determined to hide it.  Set in 1934 Alabama, Scout, Jem and Dill have a summer trying to understand a case that Atticus is working on.  A black man, Tom Robinson has been accused of raping a white woman.  In the south in 1934, this might as well be a death sentence.  Despite evidence to show he could not physically have done what he is accused of, sadly the racists seem to be winning the case.

To Kill a Mockingbird was inspired by novelist Harper Lee’s own childhood and has sold more than 45 million copies worldwide.  It won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature and was long at the top of the banned book lists.

All rise for this powerful and thought-provoking play that is as relevant today as it was where it was set almost 100 years ago. I have never seen this as a play, film or read the book so this hit hard.  I feel so angry at the injustice and feel worried that the story could easily be told in today’s Britain with the rise of hate and fear.

Anna Munden as Scout Finch is engaging and sweet, telling the story we are watching unfold.  Her innocence and her questioning injustice makes her the perfect narrator along with Gabriel Scott as Jem and Dylan Malyn as Dill.  They try to go over the story to see what has happened and why to make sense of it.  But how can you make sense of racism?  

Patrick O’Kane plays Atticus who believes in justice and feels he can win this case.  I truly believe it is morally right people such as Atticus that made the world a better place to live.  His integrity and that of his children are powerful and the side we want to be on.  You’ve got to love Andrea Davy as Calpurnia with her quiet opinions, giving her passive aggressive manner to show her distaste of Atticus’ actions.  

I loved the performance of Judge Taylor, played by Stephen Boxer.  To fans of the TV show Doctors he is instantly recognisable as Dr Fenton, and true enough he plays another kind and goodly character but Stephen’s accent and his exasperation of the courtroom drama allows him to break that mould and he gives a stand out performance.  Evie Hargreaves as Mayella gave another outstanding performance.  You feel sorry for her and angry at her in equal measure, knowing she is also a victim but her accusations of Tom mean she is sentencing a man to the electric chair.

The language is true to the 1930’s so can be quite shocking in today’s society.  But it is needed.  It needs to shock.  The systemic inequalities and the ingrained prejudices are key to the story being told.  If you are not outraged, how can you change society?  Can we not treat everyone with respect and kindness?  ‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.’ highlights the importance of empathy, understanding, and the moral courage required to stand up against it.

Aaron Sorkin’s riveting stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the seminal American novel about racial injustice and childhood innocence embarks on its first ever UK & Ireland tour. DO NOT MISS THIS PLAY. If you don’t feel outrage, question your morals. We need to wake up to stop history repeating itself.

To Kill A Mockingbird is at Milton Keynes Theatre until 23 May.

NOTE: If you have a loud persistent cough, please do not come to the theatre. We want to hear the dialogue of the show and not your continuous coughing. And we certainly do not want to catch your germs. As they play is trying to demonstrate, be considerate and courteous of those around you.