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| Biola's Theater 21 advertisement for "To Kill a Mockingbird", which runs October 27-November 12. |
“To Kill a Mockingbird” is a classic novel by Harper Lee that is commonly a reading requirement in high school these days. With its beautiful symbolisms for racism and innocence, the book really made a statement at a time in America’s history when the color of your skin defined who you were. Biola’s Theater 21 production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” was unable to translate all those impactful ideas and pressing symbolism to the stage. Director Forrest Robinson led a cast of young adults trying to play small children with bad accents and more time and attention was spent on that than on the depth of meaning behind the story Harper Lee constructed 51 years ago. Despite its faults though, the play did exhibit some redeeming qualities, including the set, the directing, and some of the supporting roles.
Theater 21, which is the small black box theater located on the outer edge of Biola’s campus is where the play was presented and because of the size, not much quality was expected. However I was pleasantly surprised with how Robinson and his team utilized what little space they had to create the quaint little town of Maycomb, Alabama. The houses’ facades, the balcony, and even the creative touch of the tire swing were elaborate and well done. Along with that, Robinson’s blocking and the way he utilized such a small stage was masterful.
My favorite part of the entire play was Atticus Shires, the personality behind the role of Dill Harris. His mannerisms and speech were wildly funny as they rode the fine line between childish and a lisp. Shires portrayed the shy, yet adventurous, tall tale telling, naïve six year old with accuracy as well as with his unique personality. Though a minor character in this play, he provided the comic relief that really stole the show.
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Director Forrest Robinson also acted in the role of Bob Ewell (pictured left). Forrest Robinson and Jeremy Pfaff (Boo Radley) prepare for their performance of "To Kill a Mockingbird." Photo Courtesy of Tyler Otte of The Chimes. |
The rest of the casting was one of the most distracting things of the entire play. Julie Ploehn played Scout Finch and while she did a fair job acting child-like, it was so far cast against type that it was completely unbelievable and it really brought me out of what was going on in the story. It was just bizarre watching a large 18 year old trying to play a tiny six year old well. On top of all that, another thing that took me out of the fantasy of the play was the way the actors slipped in and out of accents. It was most noticeable in Cris Cockrell who played Jem Finch, but could be seen also in the narrator, Miss Maudie (Sydney Grafft), in Mayella Ewell (Emily Leigh) and many other characters throughout the play.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” is just such a phenomenal novel and the play version did not quite live up to that. The script really missed out on the subtext of the story, like in cases with the symbolism of the mockingbird. The idea that killing a mockingbird was a sin because they are pleasant and never harm anyone was raised in the very beginning of the play by Grafft, but she did not project well and from the back row I did not understand what she was trying to say. After the first two minutes of the play, the idea was never brought up again. It happened like that for many other ideas as well, and so the audience really only got the surface level story in the play’s interpretation.
So I would not say the play was bad, but it had as many strengths as it did weaknesses, leaving you with an “eh” feeling when you walk out of the theater. Sure it has some shining moments in the acting and directing, as well as an impressive set, but that may have been lost in the inconsistent accents, bizarre casting, and shallow story. See for yourself at Biola’s Theater 21 for $10 pre-sale or $11.50 at the door. The play will run at 8pm until November 12.
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