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‘Mockingbird’ @ Theatrical Outfit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THEATER REVIEW. Grade: B- 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays. 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Through Oct. 7. $30. Theatrical Outfit, Balzer Theater at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St. N.W. 678-528-1500. Bottom line: Doesn’t sing.
The big discovery coming out of Theatrical Outfit’s new production of “To Kill A Mockingbird” has nothing to do with Tom Key’s Atticus Finch or Carolyn Cook’s take on the adult version of Harper Lee’s beloved Scout. No, siree, Bob.
The performance that ought to have these vaunted Atlanta thespians watching their backs comes from a scene-stealing 9-year-old tyke named Tendal Mann. Wearing a bowtie and knickers, speaking with an authentic Southern lisp that would do his Capote-based character proud, this bean-sprout of a boy virtually skips away with director Rosemary Newcott’s staging of Christopher Sergel’s adaptation.
Smart, ironic and very, very cute, he’s the real Dill.
But it’s going to take a lot more than adorable children and ambitious sets to persuade me that Lee’s famous novel of initiation is anything more than an overrated piece of sentimental Southern Gothic weirdness. With its mysterious bogeyman (Boo Radley), evil racist witch (Mrs. Dubose) and crusading superhero (Atticus), Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning story is a socially conscious fairy tale that’s provided invaluable lessons on courage and justice to several generations of readers.
A really good piece of juvenile literature to be sure, “Mockingbird” comes off here as an inert evening of theater — a confusing mixture of children’s material in the first act and adult themes in the second. What redeems this uneven experience are a handful of spot-on character-acting turns, including a devastating performance by Eric Moore as accused rapist Tom Robinson.
Donna Biscoe is wonderful but underused as Calpurnia. Alex Van and Veronika Duerr are by turns amusing and despicable as redneck Bob Ewell and his daughter, Mayella. And Susan Shalhoub Larkin’s Mrs. Dubose is a deliciously wicked mixture of Joan Plowright and Mary Nell Santacroce.
In the leading roles, Cook and Key give performances that are impressively measured and crisp, but they kind of fade into the sprawling small-town canvas. Key seems to be holding back on purpose, and his Gregory Peck moment never comes.
Forty years after its publication, “Mockingbird” continues to have such a cult following that “Harper” has become a popular name for girls. Scout, Jem and Dill are indelible literary creations. Even mediocre productions have built-in cheering squads. Too bad, then, that this “Mockingbird” never sings.
Young Tendal, however, is another story. When this Charles Baker “Dill” Harris arrives in Maycom, the socially savvy kid hands out his own cards. For casting agents everywhere, Tendal might consider doing the same.
Comments
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By GeorgiaThespian
September 21, 2007 12:01 AM | Link to this
Why on earth would Theatrical Outfit choose such a poorly-written play as “To Kill A Mockingbird”? Christopher Sergel is a second-rate hack of a playwrite and does not do justice to one of the great pieces of Southern Literature. The choice of directors is also suspect. Rosemary Newcott is a great director of teenagers, but not adults.
By Josh Stone
September 21, 2007 12:49 AM | Link to this
Okay this was a very boring performance. YAWN! Wake me when it is almost over. I think Wendell of the AJC was being nice with this review. The Theatrical Oufit is in need of better plays than this. This is not a production that “stirs the soul.”
By Dutch
September 21, 2007 6:31 PM | Link to this
Maybe actually reading the book would persuade you that it’s “more than an overrated piece of sentimental Southern Gothic weirdness”. Harper Lee crafted a great story with unforgetable characters. I can’t comment on the play, but if you’re assessment of it is as flawed as your assessment of the book, your opinion is worthless.
By Tommy H
September 22, 2007 11:17 PM | Link to this
Perhaps the best way to address the classic work (sorry, Wendell, but there’s more to it than cute kids!) is to state what a challenge it is to stage. The most powerful moments in “Mockingbird” (the killing of the rabid dog, the jail scene, and Atticus walking out of a courtroom, defeated, with a galley of African-Americans standing in respect, cannot be staged in a 200 seat venue the way they can cinematically or expressed on the page.
As for GeorgiaThespian’s comments about Rosemary Newcott, the only thing suspect is your unfounded attack. Rosemary’s work over the years - be it for kids or adults - has been exceptional. But it’s cute that you have an ax to grind and do so with such over-the-top theatricality.
By Theatre Lover
September 24, 2007 1:04 AM | Link to this
Rosemary Newcott is one of the most gifted directors in this city. To dismiss her work as being superior only when working with teenagers indicates, with all due respect, that “GeorgiaThespian” simply does not know what he/she is talking about. Really, get a clue.
By arne saknussen
September 25, 2007 3:45 PM | Link to this
Directing teenagers is infinetly more difficult than directing adults. “Georgia Thespian”,s comment does indeed seem to be more of a grudge than a fair assessment of Ms Newcott’s directing expertise.
By Tommy H
September 26, 2007 1:18 PM | Link to this
Yes, and Georgia Thespian also seems to overlook that the glue that holds Harper Lee’s story together is not Atticus or Boo Radley, but three children. In this case, three talented children who need a capable director to guide them to share the stage with confidence, shoulder to shoulder with Tom Key and Carolyn Cook. I can think of no one in Atlanta more qualified than Rosemary. Apparently, Georgia Thespian can…
By Donna R.
September 26, 2007 5:18 PM | Link to this
Saw the play and thought it a wonderful piece of Southern Gothic. As a native of Atlanta, I got it. The acting was fine - in fact I thought Key a more believable Atticus that Gregory Peck - but the rave review for little Tendal was overdone (are you a relative??) If you enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird then go see this play, you will not be disappointed. And if you don’t like the story - in no matter what form it is told- stay away and don’t review it.
By CeeJay
September 28, 2007 1:24 AM | Link to this
I went to see this play at Theatrical Outfit. As always they put on the BEST of the BEST in ATLANTA. I really wonder if Wendell reviews the plays and the theater company or if he takes more in to consideration his friendship with others, I mean seriously I’ve seen him review some BAD theater and give them good marks and then we get a company like Theatrical Outfit and he reviews like this… it does seem like it is more personal here. I LOVED THE SHOW. Tom Key is unrated as an actor. Rosemary Newcott directed this better than anyone in ATL could have. The entire cast is wonderful! ALL THREE of the kids are GREAT! Thanks Theatrical Outfit. Keep up the great work!
By Sherry Finch
October 2, 2007 8:14 PM | Link to this
We loved this production! Can’t understand anyone calling a classic like this a “southern gothic”…unless he meant the historical setting was something we Atlantans have forgotten was once our actual, really rotten way of living. That little boy was, indeed, a scene-stealer—in all the best meanings of the term—and the other child stars were exceptional. Good casting, all around, and good theatre all around.