To Kill A Mockingbird - A Timely Adaptation Needed Now, More Than Ever
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The timely return of [*To Kill A Mockingbird*](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/to-kill-a-mockingbird-tickets) with **Richard Coyle** reprising his role in the Tony Award-winning stage adaptation of [**Harper Lee**](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-to-kill-a-mockingbird-story-cast-reviews-the-london-stage-adaptation)[’s novel](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-to-kill-a-mockingbird-story-cast-reviews-the-london-stage-adaptation), couldn’t have come sooner. This deep-dive review of the show contains spoilers.
Set against the backdrop of 1930s Alabama, during the Great Depression, it is hard to ignore the parallels and patterns that repeat itself throughout history. Though the language is outdated and thankfully less often used, the acts of prejudice remain the same.
The story is told through the eyes of lawyer Atticus Finch’s children - Scout Finch (played by **Anna Munden**), Jem Finch (**Gabriel Scott**) and their new neighbour and friend, Dill Harris (**Dylan Malyn**). They reflect upon their father’s perseverance on a case to prove Tom Robinson’s innocence (played by **Aaron Shosanya**), a black man accused of sexually assaulting a white teenage girl. Though the town is set in their ways, and blinded by their own prejudice, Atticus lays out the facts of the case and brings light to the blatant web of lies fabricated by Bob Ewell (played by **Oscar Pearce**) and the supposed victim, Mayella Ewell (**Evie Hargreaves**). The narration of the case told through the innocent eyes of the children makes justice appear so simple, right versus wrong should be simple.
Though the book was written in 1960, set in the 1930s, and a book of fiction, in 2026 patterns and history repeats itself. The small town herd mentality is built upon the facade of community, whilst creating a villain out of otherness. With characters such as Bob Ewell, having lost his job, a lack of education, widowed, uses Tom Robinson and the entire black community as a scapegoat. Sound familiar? The news stories we hear today, reflected in this show, highlight the far-right’s comfort blanket of knowing there will always be a minority group to scapegoat. And with the power of anonymity and a superiority complex, fuels the outpour of hate crimes and casual racism.
The famous Atticus Finch quote *‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.’* is the left wing mantra. The understanding of division, scapegoating, class and education as the rungs of a ladder towards prejudice. However, it is not the vocal ones we should fear, it is the silent bystanders and enablers of blatant racial prejudice, as we see towards the end of the play with the jury convicting an innocent man as guilty. The three children uttered the chilling word 12 times, one for each juror, the next word though predictable and more haunting than the last. The silence in the theatre adding to the chill of the word, guilty.
The use of the children to narrate the story added lightness where craved, and sometimes hope. The stand out performances of **Anna Munden** as the loveable, innocent and intelligent Scout, the firm fighting portrayal of Jem by **Gabriel Scott** and the groundbreakingly nuanced performance of **Dill** by Dylan Malyn, made this story more than a court drama but a coming of age tale too.
The character Dill I felt was portrayed as a neurodivergent child, with missed social cues, or even over-rehearsed ones, and a breakdown of sheer frustration when the verdict claimed Robinson to be guilty. This added a layer to the naivety around the justice system with the somewhat radical idea that good and bad should be simple. I reflect upon pivotal political moments in history, where I as a child did not have a say, yet it shaped the community and future that I now live in, and the twisting, gut-wrenching frustration of that was reflected in Malyn’s innovative performance for his professional stage debut.
Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation gives a layered voice to Calpurnia who acts as a bridge between two worlds in the novel. I still wish we had more of her voice, but every line spoken by **Andrea Davy** held intent, and the strongest of messages. With an additional layer added to the story, with a held resentment against Atticus for the duration of the show. It is revealed Calpurnia is angry with Atticus for uttering the words ‘you’re welcome’ under his breath after he agrees to take on Tom Robinson’s case, which adds to the complexity of **Richard Coyle**’s performance of the otherwise unshakeable figure of perfect activism. Atticus in this moment is criticised for his white-saviourism, as he has sacrificed his reputation in the community, making Calpurnia detest that she is one of the ones who should be grateful in the eyes of Finch.
This powerfully moving adaptation of Lee’s *To Kill A Mockingbird* is a must-see. If not for the gripping storytelling, but for the radical talent of all actors on that stage, to uncover the many layers of the complex characters in this show. It is easy for us to nod or shake our heads from the audience, performing our own disdain for the discrimination faced by Tom Robinson, but adaptations like this call us to question our own activism, to check ourselves as bystanders. I challenge you to really see and hear this performance. Get your tickets to see [***To Kill A Mockingbird***](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/to-kill-a-mockingbird-tickets) in its strictly limited run at the [Wyndham’s Theatre](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/venue/wyndhams-theatre-london) now.