HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (TENNESSEE VALLEY LIVING) - “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
For most of us, we read that quote on the weathered pages of a school copy of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Hundreds of students’ eyes have skimmed over her timeless, ever-important words that prove heart-wrenchingly true no matter if it was in the 60′s or today.
The American classic has been adapted to film and now, the stage. “To Kill A Mockingbird,” adapted by Aaron Sorkin, has been called “the most successful American play in Broadway History.” The adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is making its way to Huntsville in just a few weeks. Alongside the show’s company, Emmy Award-Winning actor Richard Thomas will take the stage as Atticus Finch.
Sorkin’s adaptation brings a new light and freshness to the story while remaining true to the source material.
It’s a story about us. You know, who we are as Americans. It’s a great time to be bringing this story around the country.
— Richard Thomas
Thomas began acting over 60 years ago. Staring in shows such as “The Waltons,” The Americans,” and most recently, “Ozark,” he is no stranger to the screen. He says that performing on stage, in front of a live audience is gratifying.
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For him, each performance is like a blind date. The company and the audience get to know one another and they just see how it goes.
I’ve worked my whole life in front of the cameras, which is a wonderful way to act. But, the theater is my favorite and in many ways, the most deeply satisfying.
— Richard Thomas
Thomas and the company have been on the road for two years performing “To Kill a Mockingbird.” In each show, he finds something new to love within the show.
“I’m always grateful for the fact that Aaron Sorkin has made Atticus a man with a great sense of humor as well as a man of great morals and decency. It allows him [Atticus] to have the audience connect with him and to feel that he’s not up on a pedestal. He’s someone they [the audience] can actually relate to.”
“To Kill a Mockingbird” is coming to the Von Braun Center February 16-18. You can find more information on the show and get your tickets at broadwaytheatreleague.org.
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