To Kill A Mockingbird
Performance Review
On Friday night,
in a very hot room at the Downtown Arts Center, I watched the AthensWest
Theatre Company put on To Kill A
Mockingbird. The stage was intimate, with the audience taking up two walls
and the stage taking up the two walls in the other corner. Because there were
only a few rows of chairs, most of the audience was up-close and personal with
the performers.
As the play opened
on the porches of a few modest houses in Maycomb County, Alabama, Scout (played
by 7th grader Emily Reed) ran on stage. I found the kids’
performances to be particularly convincing especially considering their
inexperience compared to their adult counterparts. 8th grader Galen Arnett played
Jem, and 6th grader Nate Krohmer took on the role of Dill. Only once
during the show did I notice a flaw with one of the kid’s performances, and
this was during a somewhat serious moment towards the end of the play. Krohmer was trying with all his might to
conceal a smile, but wasn’t entirely successful. I don’t think it detracted
from the overall play in the slightest, but only gave the audience a reminder
that he is in fact just a kid.
Atticus Finch and
Mayella, played respectively by Kevin Crowley and Gabrielle Miller, were, in my
opinion, the best actors in the entire production. I thought Crowley
effectively and gracefully brought Harper Lee’s complex character to life.
Miller had an emotional scene during the courtroom section of the play where
she was brought to tears when describing her version of what happened with Tom
Robinson on that fateful night, and her ability to cry and give off such a
visibly shaken demeanor was great.
My favorite part
of the play had to be when Scout and Jem were walking home in the dark holding
hands. I liked this scene not for it’s importance in regards to the play, but
because Reed and Arnett had to hold hands. I remember middle school vividly,
and holding hands was always awkward. As an audience member, I couldn’t tell
that they felt awkward, but as someone who has been through those middle school
years, I know they did. That was all I could think about during that scene, and
even though I know I should be focusing on the play itself, I felt it was
necessary to mention that part.
Overall, I enjoyed
AthensWest’s rendition of To Kill A Mockingbird. The costumes were accurate,
and the actors, under the guidance of director Jeff Day, did a good job of
effectively communication the story to the audience.
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