Review: To Kill A Mockingbird
Students, being part of the largest theater cast in Bethany history, put in many long hours in order to give their audience an insight of what it was like to live in Maycomb, Alabama in 1935.
To Kill A Mockingbird, originally a book published by Harper Lee, is told through the perspective of Jean Louise (Sadie Gustafson-Zook, ‘13) as she remembers her childhood in Alabama. Her father, Atticus (Jesse Bontreger, ’13), is struggling with the most difficult case of his career. The story is shown through the eyes of Jean Louise’s younger self, Scout (Gabriela Klopfenstein, ‘18), as she tries to figure out why the good people of Maycomb would sentence a man to death based on his skin color. The play focuses on the racial conflict that takes place in 1935, through the trial of Tom Robinson (Josh Stotzfus, ‘13), wrongly accused of “taking advantage” of Mayella Ewell (Kaylah Price, ‘15).
The cast did an excellent job in the portrayal of this heavy subject. I was most impressed with Joe Kreider’s (‘13) performance as Bob Ewell. By the end of the night I was scared to death of the man he was pretending to be. From his movements to the harsh tone of his voice, Joe brought this antagonistic character to life. Kaylah Price (‘15), portrayed Mayella flawlessly, pretending to be a young woman who is frequently beaten by her father. The three children, Scout, Jem (Hans Miller ‘15), and Dill (Kyle Snyder ‘16), did an excellent job of providing a view of the racial mess through the children’s eyes. Last but not least, Atticus’ final statement, attempting to save Tom one last time, was wrenching. There was so much emotion and passion that went into the speech, I don’t know how the jury could have said no because he sure had me convinced.
Overall, the cast did a wonderful job. They really brought this play to life and allowed the audience to join them in the realization that our world today hasn’t always been this way.
~Laken Richer