PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — You may have read “To Kill a Mockingbird” or seen the movie, but a live theater performance is bringing a whole new experience to the story.
“It’s this live theater event that we very much so still need today,” said actress Jacqueline Williams, who plays Calpurnia, the Finch family’s Black housekeeper, in “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
“And I do say theater event,” she added, “because you really are in the room with this journey.”
Writer Aaron Sorkin has taken Harper Lee’s classic story and adapted it for the stage, which is currently on tour at the Kimmel Cultural Campus. Sorkin’s adaptation led to the highest-grossing American play in Broadway history.
Related
“He is just a master with language,” Williams said of Sorkin, noting he added more character development and stronger story arcs for certain characters, including hers.
The tour also features Mary Badham, who played Scout in the 1962 film, as the family’s grumpy neighbor, Mrs. Dubose.
Anthony Natale, a deaf actor, plays Link Deas, Tom Robinson’s boss. Several actors spoke highly about working with him and how the show was adapted to include sign language:
Lee’s book has been banned in many places since it was published in 1960. Some schools in the U.S. have recently removed it from their curriculum.
But Williams said the story — about a Black man on trial in 1934 for a crime he didn’t commit — is still very relevant and carries important messages.
“For many years, racism in the northern areas of the country would still exist, but it would be camouflaged,” she said. “This stuff is just out there now.
“I hope people that come out to the live event will leave with some thoughts of … what have they done so far to make things better? What can they do moving forward to make things better?”
Related
“To Kill a Mockingbird” runs now through July 24 at the Academy of Music. You can get tickets at kimmelculturalcampus.org.