Tom Klingele
Scout (Julia Amann) and Atticus (Steve Koehler) share a moment on their front porch.
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a beloved American classic, focusing on a girl nicknamed Scout and her experiences with racism and injustice in a small town in the deep South.
A difficult and important work that is as relevant now as it was when it was published in 1960, Mockingbird is a wonderful choice for Children’s Theater of Madison, which is closing its 50th anniversary season with a beautiful production, directed by Roseann Sheridan.
The play, which runs through May 22 in the Playhouse at Overture Center, has three young people at its center: Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, her older brother, Jem, and their odd but delightful friend Charles Baker Harris, known as Dill, who is visiting their small town of Maycomb, Ala., for the summer.
Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus, is hard at work preparing the legal defense of Tom Robinson, an African American man accused of raping a white woman. Tensions rise as the town quickly takes sides along racial lines. The trial and the violence that ultimately follow give Scout and Jem a profound appreciation for the work their father does. It also awakens them to the staggering prejudice in their community, and how that prejudice could lead to a gross miscarriage of justice.
Because some of the language of the play is historically accurate but offensive to many modern audience members, the show begins with a short discussion led by Theola Carter and the African American members of the cast. Her warnings about the content transition into a call to action and a rousing rendition of “Keep Your Eye on the Prize,” a folk song sung during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ’60s.
Humming the song’s refrain, the first character we meet is an adult version of Scout (played elegantly by Liz Cassarino), who sets the scene and acts as a guide, watching her younger self struggle with the events that unfolded in that summer of 1935.
The young performers who play Scout, Jem and Dill are natural and confident onstage, and their portrayal of a loss of innocence compounds the tragedy of the story. Dill is played with great charm by sixth grader Trygve Gunderson. High school junior Rizvan Moe captures Jem’s frustration with a father who doesn’t behave like the other dads. His eventual admiration for Atticus’ legal work and moral stand in the face of overwhelming odds is a heartwarming transformation. As Scout, sixth grader Julia Amann is every inch an inquisitive tomboy — dressed in overalls, a plaid shirt and sneakers, her hair in two braids, she is always asking questions.
Steve Koehler brings an easy cadence to his role as Atticus, using gentle but firm hand to counsel his children and to defuse an angry lynch mob. As Tom Robinson, Terence Sims gives a standout performance as the wrongly accused innocent man. Miranda Hawk as the kind neighbor Miss Maudie, Dave Pausch as the attorney Mr. Gilmer and Lee Waldhart as Sherriff Heck Tate also have exceptional moments onstage in smaller key roles. And Theola Carter’s rich, strong voice leads a chorus in singing spirituals between scenes, adding great texture to the play.
Mike Lawler’s monochromatic set of dull, worn wood structures with many missing pieces is the perfect backdrop for the hot, dry Southern summer. A twisted, gnarled, leafless tree accentuates the mud brown of the buildings, and is the only organic element on stage. An enormous sky projected behind the town provides a warm sunset at the play’s end.
At two-and-a-half hours (with one 15-minute intermission) Mockingbird feels long at times — particularly during the courtroom scene in the second act. And there are uneven spots in the large cast where characters slip into caricature, but overall this production is an excellent introduction to Harper Lee’s groundbreaking novel — or a chance to revisit an important masterwork.
