Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre: To Kill A Mockingbird Review

Cast: Robert Sean Leonard, Michele Austin, Richie Campbell, Simon Gregor, Hattie Ladbury, Daniel Tuite, Stephen Kennedy, Christopher Ettridge, Eleanor Worthington-Cox, Callum Henderson, Sebastian Clifford

Synopsis: To Kill A Mockingbird is told from the perspective of a 10-year old girl named Scout and deals with a number of social issues in the deep south of America in 1936. Scout’s father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer and due to defend the rights of a black man accused of raping a white girl.

This year, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre begins their summer season with Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. It’s been adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel with direction by Regent’s Park artistic director Timothy Sheader and he’s strikingly brought the classic novel to life in an innovative and captivating fashion.

The play opens with the cast each reading lines from the novel, but they’re not stood on stage, they’re integrated in parts of the audience. As they stand, each holds different copies of the book (published in 1960) and voice their words across the arena. The Open Air Theatre is renowned – for me – in breaking the ‘fourth wall’ plus somehow, quite uniquely, creating a new variation of that rule that instantaneously makes the audience part of the narrative.

As they move to the seemingly empty stage, a large area with only a tree with a swing, the adults all pick up a large piece of chalk and begin to draw a map of their town. The lines they draw on the stage reflect Scout’s young vision of her world, and give us a direct inclination to where we are and the characters to come but, there’s still very much an air of mystery to who’s who.

The first act is snappy, heart-warming and insightful and follows the young life of Scout. The older actors continue to read from the novel of Harper Lee and switch between story-tellers and characters in the play. What makes this version particularly special is the effortless entwining of narration and acting out the scenes themselves, the lines flow from every actor. We also see early indications of the secret, subtle strengths of the play and it’s truly brilliant three child-actors playing Scout (Eleanor Worthington-Cox), Jem (Callum Henderson) and Dill (Sebastian Clifford).

The three lead youngsters are impressive, bringing to life the story with innocence, understanding and true heart. It could be easy to forget that this is a tale told from the younger perspective, especially when it’s dealing with such adult themes but their emotional complexity and honesty is second-to-none.

The second act brings us into the court case and vivid, adult reality of events. What’s also interesting is the utter modern relevance and how, unfortunately, this is all too real still in some parts of the world. Not only does the play remind us of the racial disharmony that exists, it questions all those stereotypes, prejudices and pre-judgmental attitudes towards race and towards fellow human beings and the factual reminder that after all, we’re all the same really and should be treated as such.

Robert Sean Leonard is compelling, intelligent and moving in his role of Atticus Finch, his poise and patience when all in the world around him is losing a sense of reality is captivating. You’ll find yourself understanding his statements on a deeper level, and remember that it’s important to walk in someone else’s shoes to understand a situation. He’s the epitome of racial heroism in literature and, in many ways, our modern real-life world as well.  Richie Campbell as Tom Robinson is heart-breaking but within all that poignancy is an important story. His depiction of a man in the wrong place at the wrong time will shake you to the core. As he breaks down, he still tells a story of unequivocal truth that cannot be underestimated.

To Kill A Mockingbird at the Open Air Theatre is clever, heart-warming, relevant and brilliant, book now via this link.