To Kill a Mockingbird will reopen at the Shubert Theatre from October 5. Jeff Daniels and Celia Keenan-Bolger will return. To Kill a Mockingbird tickets in New York are on sale soon.
Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin's new stage adaptation of Harper Lee's classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, directed by Tony winner Bartlett Sher, officially opened on Broadway on December 13, 2018, following previews from November 1.
Harper Lee's debut novel was published in 1960 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It has gone on to sell over 50 million copies in print to date and has been published in over 40 different languages. It tells the story of a lawyer from the tired old town of Maycomb, Atticus Finch, who is tasked with defending Tom Robinson, a black man facing trial on rape charges. The novel is told from the point of view of Scout, Atticus' young daughter, and deals delicately with the topics of racial tension and justice.
Original company member Jeff Daniels, who created the role of Atticus Finch in the Broadway production, is an esteemed Emmy Award-winning actor known for his celebrated screen performances in the likes of "Terms of Endearment," "The Purple Rose of Cairo," "Dumb and Dumber," "The Newsroom," and many more. He is also a four-time Golden Globe nominee. On stage, he has received Tony Award nominations for his performances in God of Carnage in 2009, in Blackbird in 2016, and for his portrayal of Atticus Finch in 2019.
Original Broadway cast member Celia Keenan-Bolger won her first Tony Award for her performance as Scout Finch at The 73rd Annual Tony Awards, justifying her position as the heart and soul of this smash hit play. Alongside her brother Jem and best friend Dill, Scout constantly breaks the fourth wall to guide the audience through Harper Lee's twisting tale, both inside and outside of the courtroom. Her bravery and innocence symbolise hope for future generations in the face of prejudice and injustice.
Featuring one of the most gifted ensembles on the Great White Way, ingenious scenic design which enables complicated set pieces to slide on and off the stage seamlessly, and atmospheric lighting, To Kill a Mockingbird exemplifies stagecraft at its best and is also a stark reminder of how the more things change in American society, the more they remain the same. It is an urgent call to action, rather than a period piece, and an important (albeit highly entertaining) lesson for young theatregoers across the States.
This Broadway premiere of To Kill a Mockingbird was assembled by a team of theatrical Heavyweights with Scott Rudin as lead producer, Bartlett Sher as director and Aaron Sorkin as playwright and audiences have flocked to the Shubert Theatre ever since the show's first preview performance. Indeed, since the play opened on Broadway, it has shattered box office records to become the highest-grossing American play in Broadway history!
(Photos by Julieta Cervantes)
