[NEohioPAL] Lakeland Theatre: Review for To Kill a Mockingbird

[Martin Friedman]

This review ran in the News Herald on Friday, September 21, 2008. It was written by Robert Ablemand. 
   
  “To Kill a Mockingbird” runs until September 30 on the Lakeland Community College campus, 7700 Clocktower Drive, Kirtland.  For tickets, which are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, call (440) 525-7034. 
  
   
  Lakeland’s “Mockingbird” Rises Above Adaptation
  Plays based on books often unfold as if they were being read to the audience.  Characters describe action rather than engage in it and appear to be talking at, rather than with, each other.  With little or no provocation, they weigh into rambling monologues that on paper are poetry but in performance can be tedious.
  Such is the case with Christopher Sergel’s adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” currently on stage at the Lakeland Theatre.  Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, the play is a condensed, wordy and somewhat sanitized version of this literary classic.  Much of the seething racial prejudice that drives the novel and the narrative voice that provides much of its poignancy have been altered.  
  Set in 1930’s Alabama, “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a coming-of-age story of Scout Finch and her brother Jem, who watch their father valiantly defend an innocent black man against charges of sexually assaulting a white woman.  In this staged telling of the tale, the overriding goodness and gentility of the father is given greater emphasis than the hatred and mob mentality that overtakes the small town.  This adaptation also replaces Scout as the narrator with a nosey but well intended neighbor, Miss Maudie.  Both of these choices mute the emotional impact of the story and result in less intriguing storytelling than that found in the novel. 
  These shortcomings are enough to creatively handcuff most theater directors.  Fortunately, Lakeland’s Martin Friedman has found himself a marvelous cast to breathe life into this script.  Theater veteran Mark Cipra as Atticus Finch, the defender of lost and just causes, is perfect.  His Atticus is brave without being too bold, mild mannered without being milquetoast, and thoroughly likable.  The integrity and inner-strength Mr. Cipra gives his character is palatable and energizes the entire production. 
   
  Nancy Shimonek Brooks musters the right amount of southern charm in her depiction of small town voyeur Miss Maudie, the play’s narrator.  Ms. Brooks delivers such a solid and textured performance that one can overlook the lack of Scout’s narrative voice.  Besides, twelve year old novice Lizzie Wood, who plays Scout with vigor if not nuance, has enough on her plate. 
   
  Nearly every member of the ensemble gives an honest and passionate performance.  Most notable are Cody Swanson as Jem, Michael Rogan as the stoic sheriff, Caitlin Sandham as the misguided victim, and Douglas Collier as her dangerous and dysfunctional father.  Roberto Elliott Hooper gives a beautifully understated and absolutely captivating performance as the falsely accused Tom Robinson.  Pamela Morton and Marvin Mallory, as Calpurnia and Reverand Sykes, make the most of every moment on stage and bring something special to each of their scenes.
   
  Although the actors lift this production above the material, Keith Nagy’s attractive but cumbersome set has the opposite effect.  Two stationary platforms dominate the stage, serving as adjacent front porches in the first half of the play and the courthouse scene for the second half. There are plenty of places for performers to stand but little room to roam.  This forces Mr. Friedman to stage action behind the sets, where sound and sight lines are lost, or in and around the sets, which seems contrived and frequently awkward.  Too often, actors are motionless and that is when the play unfolds as if it was being read to the audience.   
   
  Christopher Sergel’s adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a flawed work, but the powerful messages from Harper Lee’s novel persevere.  We are reminded that poverty and ignorance are the enemy and can undermine human decency.  That fear of the unknown can mutate into something insidious and contagious.  Despite some limitations in Lakeland’s staging of this production, these messages come across clearly and with profound resonance.  
   
  This is a show worth seeing with performances worth remembering.  “To Kill a Mockingbird” runs until September 30 on the Lakeland Community College campus, 7700 Clocktower Drive, Kirtland.  For tickets, which are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, call (44) 525-7034. 
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