TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Reopening Night Thread

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/5/21 at 12:02am

All rise, once again. 

This court has determined that To Kill a Mockingbird will resume performances tonight at the Shubert Theatre. Based on the bestselling Harper Lee novel, the Tony-winning play welcomes back original cast members Jeff Daniels and Celia Keenan-Bolger (as Atticus and Scout Finch) upon reopening. The two join an almost completely new principal cast, including Portia as Calpurnia, Hunter Parrish as Jem Finch, Noah Robbins as Dill Harris, Michael Braugher as Tom Robinson, Zachary Booth as Horace Gilmer, Gordon Clapp as Judge Taylor, Erin Wilhelmi as Mayella Ewell, and Amelia McClain as Miss Stephanie / Dill’s Mother. The show will also welcome five new ensemblists.

As previously announced, Orin Wolf has taken over as executive producer for this show and is now in control of all aspects of the production. Also, playwright Aaron Sorkin has adapted his script to include reflections on the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, as well as the reenergized Black Lives Matter movement.

Anyone on these boards going tonight is a witness. Prove yourselves innocent by posting thoughts and reactions below.

Updated On: 10/5/21 at 12:02 AM

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 10/5/21 at 6:38pm

Anyone going?

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 10/5/21 at 10:07pm

I was there tonight. Holy CRAP please go see this play. That’s all I’ll say. I was quite literally on the edge of my sear the whole show. Wow.

[dave1606]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 10:43am

I was there last night. I saw the show at the first preview of its original run and enjoyed it, but had been debating if I needed to return. I'm very glad I did! 

This show certainly seems more timely now than ever. As for any re-writes I caught one or two lines that seemed to have been added, but most of the show seems fairly the same. 

What a treat to see Jeff and Celia again! They were both wonderful and I enjoyed Hunter Parrish and Noah Robbins and Portia as Calpurnia. 

Wonderful to see Aaron Sorkin for the pre-curtain speech as well. BTW this show ran about three hours last night, not the 2:35 the website says. Very happy this is back on Broadway and I may very well take my mom to this in the next few months. 

 

[bway0]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 10:48am

Do you think the longer run time is because of the added rewrites? Or has this show always ran close to 3 hrs?

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 11:02am

Going on Sunday. Can’t wait!

[dave1606]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 11:20am

I do not believe that the rewrites were significant enough to add the time. I think it was always long but the pacing is probably not up to what it was when the show had been running for a few months. They will probably tighten it up over the next few weeks. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 12:17pm

Glad you enjoyed it, Dave! Enjoy this brilliant show going forward everyone, it's so special. 

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 12:47pm

I was kind of surprised to see that 5 of the actors that joined the show as replacements (i.e., Kyle Scatliffe, Taylor Trensch) on November 5, 2019, and whose run ended prematurely during the shutdown, did not return to the show.  Unless an offer wasn't made.

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 2:28pm

Maybe they were all on six-month contracts/extensions like Ed Harris was, and considering the show shut down in mid-March, it might’ve just been cheaper to buy out the last month of the contracts than to bring them back and re-rehearse, especially if they have other products

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 2:38pm

DottieD'Luscia said: "I was kind of surprised to see that 5 of the actors that joined the show as replacements (i.e., Kyle Scatliffe, Taylor Trensch) on November 5, 2019, and whose run ended prematurely during the shutdown, did not return to the show. Unless an offer wasn't made."

Could also be after 18 months, an eternity for an actor, they really preferred to move on to something new, especially since they didn't originate the role. 

[BOM]

Posted: 10/7/21 at 8:54am

Caught the matinee yesterday and loved it. The number of cell phones that went off during the performance at the worst possible time was infuriating though. I counted eight separate times ringtones and alarms went off. You older folks know that cellphones have a silent mode, right?

[chuckydisc]

Posted: 10/17/21 at 8:27am

A seat location question.

Which side of the theatre would I miss less action on stage if I was in a far left/right "partial view" Orchestra seat? ( from the rush line ).

Any info would be helpful.

Thanks.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 10/17/21 at 8:54am

I saw this last week, and I didn’t love it. I thought Celia was lovely but was generally kind of lukewarm about the whole evening.

Though that may have been partially influenced by the WORST audience behavior I’ve experienced since Mean Girls. Almost the entire row behind me talked the entire show, and at least 3 of them had their phones go off multiple times. Not to mention the various phones ringing near the end of the play at its most quiet moments.

I’m not one to whine about the state of Broadway audience behavior, but this was a pretty bleak look for the more touristy shows these days.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/17/21 at 9:03am

ColorTheHours048 said: "I saw this last week, and I didn’t love it. I thought Celia was lovely but was generally kind of lukewarm about the whole evening."

I feel the same way about this show. However, I think my enjoyment was greatly impaired by my seat. When I saw the show I was sitting in row E seat 3 in the orchestra (supposedly a full view premium seat). One would think this would be a GREAT seat. It was not. I saw the back of the actors heads for 80% of the show. Barlett Sher is one of my favorite directors of all time, but the blocking was so bad (at least for the view from my seat). 

 

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/17/21 at 9:43am

I didn’t love it either. And it had nothing to do with the noise or my seats. It just was not TKAM to me, too many changes from the original book turned me off completely.

Nothing against the production itself but the heart and soul of the book (and movie) were completely lost and so it wasn’t my cup of tea.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 11/2/21 at 9:12am

Quick seating question.

I can do Q101 in center orchestra or C101 in center front mezzanine.

Thoughts?

[Flowerlovestage5]

Posted: 11/2/21 at 10:23am

Mezz C101. I love the front mezz at the Schubert - great view.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 11/2/21 at 11:35am

Flowerlovestage5 said: "Mezz C101. I love the front mezz at the Schubert - great view."

Thank you.

[chuckydisc]

Posted: 11/7/21 at 11:13am

Does more happen stage left in the back or stage right in the back?

I have a seat choice of front Orchestra either far-side and will be missing a corner of stage due to an obstruction.

[wewdie]

Posted: 11/10/21 at 11:16am

Hey all, back in the city this weekend, I saw Ed Harris right before the pandemic.  Didn't get the chance to see Jeff Daniels or Celia in their original run.  Worth going back to see them now?  Also considering Caroline, or Change.

Love to to hear your thoughts. --Eddie

[Thomas Jefferson]

Posted: 11/12/21 at 9:13am

wewdie said: "Hey all, back in the city this weekend, I saw Ed Harris right before the pandemic. Didn't get the chance to see Jeff Daniels or Celia in their original run. Worth going back to see them now? Also considering Caroline, or Change.

Love to to hear your thoughts. --Eddie"

 

I would say it’s definitely worth seeing again.  Jeff and Celia are great to watch onstage.  If you can only see two shows though, stick with Caroline, or Change, but I would swap Mockingbird with The Lehman Trilogy.  It’s an absolute must-see.

[wewdie]

Posted: 11/12/21 at 11:11am

Thanks this is great to know!  I'm excited! 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 11/13/21 at 11:17pm

On the topic of bad audience behavior:

 

I was at the Christmas show at Radio City--which probably attracts an audience of non-theater-goers. The crowd chatted through the organ "prelude"- where those two magnificent Whilitzers play a medley of Christmas tunes.(Dammit, I really wanted to hear those organs!). 

I also had the misfortune of sitting behind a whole family  but I was directly behind the father and his adult son. Between the 2 of them, they got up and left SIX times, coming back with a large cup of beer each time. ( Can you imagine drinking that much beer in the course of a 90 minute show?). During the Nativity segment, they pulled out their phones and were checking their messages.

Of course there were lots of crying babies but you have to expect that at this type of show.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 11/13/21 at 11:17pm

On the topic of bad audience behavior:

 

I was at the Christmas show at Radio City--which probably attracts an audience of non-theater-goers. The crowd chatted through the organ "prelude"- where those two magnificent Whilitzers play a medley of Christmas tunes.(Dammit, I really wanted to hear those organs!). 

I also had the misfortune of sitting behind a whole family  but I was directly behind the father and his adult son. Between the 2 of them, they got up and left SIX times, coming back with a large cup of beer each time. ( Can you imagine drinking that much beer in the course of a 90 minute show?). During the Nativity segment, they pulled out their phones and were checking their messages.

Of course there were lots of crying babies but you have to expect that at this type of show.