Barlett Sher’s acclaimed Broadway production of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird has started previews at the Gielgud Theatre in London’s West End.
Aaron Sorkin’s Tony Award winning adaptation of Harper Lee’s classic novel premiered to critical acclaim on Broadway in December 2018 starring Jeff Daniels.
Now, the UK premiere of To Kill a Mockingbird, which has been repeatedly delayed by Covid, has opened at the Gielgud on 10 March 2022, and has its press night on 31 March. The play is booking to 13 August 2022.
To Kill a Mockingbird stars Rafe Spall (A Good Year, Prometheus, Life of Pi, The Big Short, The BFG, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) as Atticus Finch.
The cast also includes Harry Attwell (Mr Cunningham/Boo Radley), Amanda Boxer (Mrs Henry Dubose), Poppy Lee Friar (Mayella Ewell), John Hastings (Bailiff), Simon Hepworth (Mr Roscoe/Dr Reynolds), Laura Howard (Miss Stephanie/Dill’s Mother), Lloyd Hutchinson (Link Deas), Gwyneth Keyworth (Scout Finch), Tom Mannion (Sheriff Heck Tate), David Moorst (Dill Harris), Pamela Nomvete (Calpurnia), Jim Norton (Judge Taylor), Patrick O’Kane (Bob Ewell), Jude Owusu (Tom Robinson), Harry Redding (Jem Finch), David Sturzaker (Horace Gilmer) and Natasha Williams (Mrs Dubose’s Maid). The cast will be completed by ensemble members Helen Belbin, Laurence Belcher, Paul Birchard, Ryan Ellsworth, Rebecca Hayes, Danny Hetherington, Matthew Jure, Anna Munden and Itoya Osagiede.
The play has started previews getting strong and positive audience reaction, with journalists and theatregoers starting to send out their thoughts. Daily Mail showbiz editor Baz Bamigboye said on Twitter today that: “Justice: Once in a while ,even when you know the work v well, a play – when it’s finely written, directed , & performed- can catch you unawares and make you see it ,and aspects of your life, anew. Happened @MockingbirdUK tonight.I think the audience as one felt it too.”.
Theatregoer Katie Richards said on Twitter that she had booked for the show in December 2019 but said: “oh my goodness was @MockingbirdUK worth the wait. Worried they wouldn’t do my favourite book justice but I was so wrong!”
Set design for the show is by Miriam Buether, costume design by Ann Roth, sound design by Scott Lehrer, lighting by Jennifer Tipton, and an original score by Adam Guettel.
Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, published in 1960, explores racial injustice in America and features one of the most iconic characters in literary history – small-town lawyer Atticus Finch – famously portrayed on screen by Gregory Peck.
