www.broadwayworld.com: 60 Minutes aired a feature last night, November 25, on the new play To Kill a Mockingbird.
The segment, led by correspondent Steve Kroft, includes interviews with playwright Aaron Sorkin, director Bartlett Sher, and actors Jeff Daniels and LaTanya Richardson Jackson.
2 comments:
To Kill a Mockingbird is still a relevant, and powerful piece of work, and even though it may be common it's very exciting to see it coming to the Broadway stage. It's also very exciting to see Jeff Daniels taking on the role of Atticus, because it reminds me of his role in Newsroom, where his character reminded me of what Atticus might have been like in a more modern setting. However, it's very interesting though that Jem and Scout are not played by children/young adults in this version. To me I always found performances of To Kill a Mockingbird more meaningful when you see kids handling the material and stage with grace. Part of what makes the show so shocking is how these young kids interact and live in these situations that aren't entirely "child-friendly." I have no doubts that these actors are incredibly qualified, but what would have made the show more impactful (not to mention getting to show off the acting chops of some pretty great kid actors) is casting the kids as kids. Aside from that critique, I thought the video itself was interesting because it let us into the rehearsal room, and it's always good to see an entire team that seems enthusiastic about the whole process. They also seem very comfortable and friendly with each other as people, which is important, especially considering that in the show their character relations may not be as welcoming.
And yet they have. To me the book was not about Atticus, he was the white knight to his daughter. It was about Scout seeing the injustices of the world and not being able to do a damn thing about it, except believe in the good Atticus was doing. I am more concerned with Scout being pushed aside for Jeff Daniels. It is one thing to do it in Charlie and the Chocolate factory, it is quite another in to Kill A Mockingbird having adults play children. I understand the material is tough, but could not a teen or young adult play her and make it just a little more convincing. However I trust the playwright, though I do not trust the time jumps. It might assume to much about the audience being able to follow along with the plot they “remember.” My favorite part is exploring the normalcy of Atticus being just a small town lawyer, not some genius of Harvard.
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