“To Kill a Mockingbird” moving interpretation of a classic at the HSC

HARTFORD — Just about everyone has read the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” written in 1960 by Harper Lee, or has seen the movie by the same name starring Gregory Peck. It really is a story of our American heritage.
Matthew Modine stars as Atticus Finch, in the Hartford Stage Company’s production, and he does an admirable job filling some pretty big shoes as the honorable, good man and single father doing his best to be fair and hopeful, against the majority who believes that racism is right.
Set in the south during the great depression of the 1930’s, it’s a tale of poverty, racism, and the justice system, told through the eyes of a young tomboy nicknamed Scout.
In this adaptation by Christopher Sergel, the grown up Scout, played by Hallie Foote, narrates the story, where her father, the lawyer Atticus Finch, defends a black man, Tom Robinson, accused of raping a young poor white woman, Mayella Ewell.
Finch says he feels sorry for Mayella, wellplayed by Virginia Fell, but not sorry enough to allow her lies to ruin a black man’s life. That man being Tom Robinson, played with quiet integrity by Douglas Lyons, whose only crime was being kind to a woman whose life is so miserable and lonely.
Mayella’s racist father, Bob Ewell, is played by Mike Boland is completely believable as the ignorant, arrogant, self-important bigot.
Little Scout is spunky and forthright, earnestly played by Olivia Scott. When she pulls on the barrette she is forced to wear, or beats up a schoolboy because he insults her, she is convincing and full of life. And when the men attempt to lynch Robinson and Scout stops them by simply talking about one of the men’s children and her friend, it is powerful and moving.
Also notable was little Dill played by Andrew Shipman. Based on the real life Truman Capote who was Harper Lee’s next door neighbor as a child, Shipman’s Dill is precocious and a little trouble-maker, adorable in a bow-tie and Dennis-the-Menace hair.
Some of the actors play more than one role, which is fine, but when Nafe Katter plays both Judge Taylor and Boo Radley’s father, Nathan Radley, the two characters don’t look different enough from each other, and it is momentarily confusing.
The southern accents are all fine for the most part, but the problem is that the drawal naturally begs for a slower, more laid back pace, and that is not what we get here.
Perhaps director Michael Wilson is concerned about keeping the show moving, but whatever the motivation, the pace is New York City fast, making the play feel rushed at times, and sometimes difficult to understand.
Moments worth pausing for are steam-rolled over. When Robinson’s wife, played by Daralyn Jay, receives some devastating news, her one moment of agony and despair is swept away before it has a chance to fully unfold.
Better to have the confidence in the material that the story deserves, and slow down some to fully flesh out the emotional intensity inherent in the play.
Probably also for time considerations, the closing statements of the defense during the court scenes are the only ones heard. While they are powerful, and well presented by Modine’s Finch, still it would have been worth it to hear what the prosecutor had to say.
The set in first act was the front of the Finch home and a courtroom in act two. It is a simple clean design that works, by Jeff Cowie.
Even though Modine is the star attraction here, this is really Scout’s show, and Scott, with her earnest innocent performance, makes this show shine.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

3 Stars
Location: Hartford Stage Company, 50 Church Street, Hartford.
Production: Adapted by Christopher Sergel from the novel by Harper Lee. Directed by Michael Wilson. Scene design by Jeff Cowie. Costume design by David C. Woolard. Lighting design by Rui Rita. Original music and sound design by John Gromada.
Running time: 2 hours with one 15-minute intermission.
Show Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with matinees performances Sundays, selected Wednesdays and Saturday s at 2 p.m. through April 4.
Tickets: start at $23. Call 860-527-5151 or visit their website at www.hartfordstage.org.
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Matthew Modine …Atticus Finch
Hallie Foote … Jean Louise Finch
Olivia Scott … Scout
Henry Hodges … Jem
Virginia Kull … Mayella Ewell
Mike Boland … Bob Ewell
Charles Turner … Reverend Sykes
Douglas Lyons … Tom Robinson
Pat Bowie … Calpurnia