All rise for Oscar-winning writer Aaron Sorkin’s award-winning stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird, directed by Bartlett Sher. The Harper Lee novel has sold more than 45 million copies since its release in 1960. Despite the difficult topics of racial inequality and rape, the book was an instant success with a Pulitzer Prize arriving the following year and, a year after that, a multi-Oscar-winning film starring Gregory Peck. It is set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, in 1935 and is loosely based on Lee’s own observations growing up and an event that occurred during her childhood.
The task of capturing the backdrop of a depression hit Alabama fell on the teams of Set Designer Miriam Buether and Costume Designer Anna Roth. The main set was made up of two large sections manoeuvred by the actors and the ensemble cast. It was fascinating to see the stage transition performed by the main cast alongside the ensemble, giving a feeling of teamwork. The stage was set up to replicate a courtroom, Atticus Finch’s porch and the prison house, amongst other places. The costume design augmented the mood of the times and the scene was set for the courtroom drama in a balmy Alabama summer.
The story focuses on the trial of Tom Robinson (Aaron Shosanya), a black man falsely accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell (Evie Hargreaves). He is defended by Atticus Finch (Richard Coyle), a white Attorney, much to the chagrin of the local white community. It has been a long time since I read the book, so I cannot comment on how true the direction is to the original text.
The majority of the play takes place on the porch and in the courtroom and is nonlinear as the storyline recalls events leading up to the trial. It is narrated by Jem Finch (Gabriel Scott), Scout Finch (Anna Munden) and Dill Harris (Dylan Malyn). The narration is a key component of this production, adding insight, reflection time and humour to an otherwise fast-paced and sometimes unpleasant dialogue. The language and attitude of the characters are often jarring to hear, but the more lighthearted narration dilutes the intensity.
The narrators do so in the style of their characters with Jem, a well-to-do, intelligent young man, Scout, a spirited tomboy and Dill, a curiously lovable oddball with an unerring respect for others. All 3 actors are to be commended for their characterisation and integration of the narration. Interestingly, the quirky Dill is reportedly based on Lee’s childhood friend, Truman Capote.
Richard Coyle plays Atticus with a steady hand, but I feel his character is too reserved from a scripting point of view. His best interactions are with the excellent Calpurnia (Andrea Davy), who holds Atticus to task with her own brand of passive aggressiveness. But even when the script delves into the source of her problem with Atticus, it moves on too quickly. The production would have benefitted from more of this dynamic. Aaron Shosanya is a suitably enigmatic Tom Robinson, a character who has a small dialogue for such a key character.
Aron Sorkin’s adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird succeeds in balancing the courtroom drama with social reflections, whilst using the narration to enable a few light moments. It is a poignant modern-day retelling of one of the most famous and important books in American literature. It transports us back to the Deep South in the mid 1930’s and it is not always a comfortable ride. It is a powerful piece of Theatre.
Production run (The Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield): 27th January – 7th February 2026.
Running Time: around 2 hours and 50 mins, including an interval.
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/to-kill-a-mockingbird-2026/dates
Reviewer: Matthew Burgin
On: 27th January 2026
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