Ringside Report Review: To Kill A Mockingbird On Broadway

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By Anthony “Zute” George

To Kill A Mockingbird on Broadway is a classic rendition of the exemplary Harper Lee 1960 novel. The record-breaking American play is anchored by the acting prowess of Jeff Daniels and the writing wizardry of Aaron Sorkin. Indeed, the play is driven by a team effort, with stellar performances from Celia Keenan-Bolger; who won an Emmy for her role as Scout Finch, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Latanya Richardson Jackson, Will Pullen, Gideon Glick; who earned an Emmy nomination for his role as Dill Harris, Dakin Matthews, Phyllis Somerville, Neal Huff, Erin Wilhelmi and Ted Koch; who was marvelous as the understudy for the Bob Ewell in the performance I watched, were all phenomenal and worthy of their lengthy standing ovation at the end of the show. With that said, there is no mistaken that Jeff Daniels and Aaron Sorkin are the straws that stir the Mockingbird drink. Both have been exceptional talents in their craft for a long time.

Jeff Daniels is one of the finest actors of our time. Whatever role he plays, he is unequivocally that guy. Jeff earned a lot of attention for his role as Flap Horton in the 1983 Oscar-winning Terms of Endearment. A film that was thick in subject matter, as well as Hollywood talent. But Jeff looked right at home on screen with such heavy hitters as Jack Nicholson, John Lithgow, Danny DeVito, Debra Winger, and Shirley MacLaine; who is a dear friend of Jeff and is considered his acting mentor. Jeff parlayed that acclaim into the lead role of The Purple Rose of Cairo in 1985. Jeff’s dual role of Tom Baxter/Gil Shepard is one of my favorites of all time. Jeff is poignant and sympathetic in a film that requires a lot of suspension of reality. Jeff makes that often daunting task easy for the audience.

Perhaps Jeff’s best performance was as the nerdy Charles Driggs, in the very underrated 1986 film Something Wild. A film that really shows Jeff’s worth as an actor because he was up against Melanie Griffith and Ray Liotta, two heavyweights who always come with a grandiose acting style, and Jeff more than held his own onscreen, arguably stealing the movie.

Before Mockingbird, Jeff Daniels already shined on Broadway in Blackbird, God of Carnage, Redwood Curtain, and The 5th of July.

Jeff is one of the few actors who can perform dramatic and comedic roles, flawlessly. Jeff is now iconic for playing both Atticus Finch and Harry. Pop quiz hotshot, what was the best part of the unrealistic, often mindless, film Speed? Indeed, Jeff Daniels.

Aaron Sorkin penned this adaptation of Mockingbird, and when Sorkin composes, it is always a treat. Sorkin and Daniels already collaborated with the HBO drama series The Newsroom, which is on my shortlist of greatest television dramas of all time. Before that show, Sorkin made a name for himself by penning the crackling A Few Good Men, the underrated, gripping plot-twisting Malice, and The American President; the Michael Douglass political film that consisted of a beautiful blend of drama and comedy, just like Jeff Daniels. But it was the epic TV show, The West Wing, where Sorkin really showed his mettle. A political drama that is also on my show list of all-time greats. The dialogue and attention to detail in The West Wing is as iconic as some of the best films in pop culture history.

If that were not enough, Sorkin also penned Charlie Wilson’s War, Moneyball and The Social Network, for which he was an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. You know you are talented when you can make baseball sabermetrics and the creation of Facebook gripping onscreen movies. Sorkin’s writing and crafting of a story are so exceptional, his style will be studied and emulated for as long as humans breathe air on this Earth. A modern-day Shakespeare.

When it was reported that Sorkin was going to take on the playwright for To Kill A Mockingbird, and Jeff Daniels was going to take on the role of Atticus Finch, it went on my radar immediately. An expensive ticket, as well as hard to obtain, made it take longer for me to see than I would have liked. Now that I saw it, it was well worth the wait, my money and my time. Very few pop culture experiences rank higher than this experience.

Thank you very much, Mr. Daniels, Mr. Sorkin, and the rest of the illustrious cast.

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