Amen to magnificent Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird Gielgud Theatre, W1

- Nick Curtis

ALL rise for a magnificent Mockingbird. Sheer emotion and moral force make this Broadway adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel about race, community and family a powerfully uplifting theatrical event.

Writer Aaron “West Wing” Sorkin and director Bartlett Sher put a different spin on the story to Lee’s narrative and the beloved 1962 film with Gregory Peck, focusing on Atticus Finch rather than his young tomboy daughter Scout and teenage son Jem.

Rafe Spall brings a wry charm and vitality to the role of the upright lawyer defending a black man against a false rape charge in depression-era Alabama.

The kids, played with just the right blend of chagrin and bravado by Gwyneth Keyworth and Harry Redding, with Evening Standard award-winner David Moorst as their gawky chum Dill, remain a powerful emblem of future hope. Jude Owusu radiates stiff dignity as the accused Tom Robinson and Pamela Nomvete a heavy fatalism as the Finches’ housekeeper Calpurnia — the only two substantial black roles.

You can see why this show played so well in Trump-struck New York in 2018: it’s a white-liberal fantasy of persistence in the face of defeat by ignorance, lies and prejudice.

Three punishing years later in London, it’s just nice to see a play promoting goodness and justice, and one so beautifully, stirringly executed.