unofan
Well-known member
Just because I can't find a better thread to put this in, went to the stage production of To Kill A Mockingbird yesterday that was created by Aaron Sorkin. Definitely had his touch all over it, both good and bad.
On the good front: the banter was witty, the deconstruction of the plot by interspersing the trial with other events worked very well, and the acting was top notch (bonus being the actress who played Scout in the film now plays Mrs. Dubois on the national tour). The guy who played Atticus really was top notch (though the part still showed it was clearly written for Jeff Daniels), could see why he had previously been nominated for a Tony and won an Emmy.
On the bad front: if you weren't a male, and preferably a white male, your part was cut way down or simply erased. Scout was reduced primarily to the narrator, Jem's part was expanded, and Dill became the comic relief. Calpurnia was reduced to a stereotypical sassy black woman. Tom Robinson's role expanded, though. Aunt Rachel was cut completely, Mrs. Dubois had about 2 minutes on stage, and Mayella Ewell became a caricature.
The what the fark parts: they cut one poignant scene and completely farked a couple of others, changing the entire tenor/ moral of the story. The one that really sticks out, though, is that instead of Atticus being spit on with no response as he keeps his cool and dignity, he now puts Bob Ewell in a headlock after losing himself for 30 seconds. Because Sorkin.
On the good front: the banter was witty, the deconstruction of the plot by interspersing the trial with other events worked very well, and the acting was top notch (bonus being the actress who played Scout in the film now plays Mrs. Dubois on the national tour). The guy who played Atticus really was top notch (though the part still showed it was clearly written for Jeff Daniels), could see why he had previously been nominated for a Tony and won an Emmy.
On the bad front: if you weren't a male, and preferably a white male, your part was cut way down or simply erased. Scout was reduced primarily to the narrator, Jem's part was expanded, and Dill became the comic relief. Calpurnia was reduced to a stereotypical sassy black woman. Tom Robinson's role expanded, though. Aunt Rachel was cut completely, Mrs. Dubois had about 2 minutes on stage, and Mayella Ewell became a caricature.
The what the fark parts: they cut one poignant scene and completely farked a couple of others, changing the entire tenor/ moral of the story. The one that really sticks out, though, is that instead of Atticus being spit on with no response as he keeps his cool and dignity, he now puts Bob Ewell in a headlock after losing himself for 30 seconds. Because Sorkin.
