DramaTeach said: "Have to say that I thought this was good but not great. Bolger is consistently great in everything, and this is no exception. Glick also stood out to me, but others seems to all blend together. Even Atticus, the center of morality and virtue, doesn't have the conviction needed to make an impact. In that case, it was Mr. Daniels who was the letdown. The writing was there, but I didn't think he rose to the occasion, which is interesting because Bolger's Scout repeatedly mentions our need as a people to RISE.
There was WAYtoo much narration. I was being told too much, and it was in one ear and out the other. I needed to see it happening to be invested. And there wasn't enough mention of Boo being a recluse or the kids trying to see him for his moment to be impactful.
The set was fine, with the family's porch being the highlight. The music didn't pack enough punch either. It wasn't bad, but it's not something that'll stick with me, and I'm pretty sure that sticking with us is something for which Harper Lee aimed."
After seeing the show yesterday, I was considering how I could best say what I thought of the show. Then I saw this response and agree with all of this 100%. You nailed it, DramaTeach.
So many folks on the board were raving about the show and talking about how good Daniels was, but I left underwhelmed in both respects. Adaptation or no, Atticus needs to have conviction and leave a true impact on the audience, reader, what-have-you. Daniels was not that. Sorkin's characteristically cold, dense writing didn't help him, either. With the buildup at the end of Act 2 to prepare for Atticus' closing statement, I was prepared for something powerful. Instead, the result was a real deflated balloon of a moment. I could feel it within the people around me too, after Daniels performed his closing remarks of the trial. It was like we were all thinking, "Uh...that was it?"
Speaking of the writing: the amount of narration irked the heck out of me. Like mentioned above, I would rather be shown than told. I know with the flashback format of the show narration is necessary, but it was unbalanced here. I could have done without the winky "hey, we're telling a story and breaking the fourth wall" business at least.
That said, I very much appreciated the new perspective on Atticus' staunch morality, the youths' push against it a bit. Very of the moment and a nice, nuanced reworking of the material.
The Boo Radley storyline was very sloppy on Sorkin's part. The focus (as it is in the book and film) was so heavily placed on the Tom Robinson case, but here it's to the point that anything in relation to Boo Radley seemed like an afterthought. Thus, the ending fell really flat for me.
Celia Keenan-Bolger was fantastic. The story is relevant and iconic and important. The production itself though didn't really work for me.
Updated On: 11/24/18 at 10:57 PM