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He appears to have pulled it off, not just commercially, but critically.
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The task was a mighty one for Sorkin, who didn’t just have to deal with the author’s estate, but also had to grapple with the legacy of the beloved 1962 film adaptation with Gregory Peck as a stentorian Atticus. Sorkin is best known for his screenplay for “The Social Network,” a look at the founding of Facebook that Rudin produced, and for creating the NBC smash “The West Wing.” The two sides settled the suit last spring in advance of the December opening, removing certain curse words, but sticking to their guns on some changes, such as Sorkin’s decision to enlarge the role of the Finch’s maid Calpurnia. Lee’s estate sued the producers for taking liberties with the novel (an earlier draft depicted Finch drinking whiskey, for instance, and cursing). “To Kill a Mockingbird” headed towards the Great White Way facing some headwinds. Bartlett Sher (“South Pacific”) directs the show. The play, like the novel, follows Atticus’s daughter Scout (Celia Keenan-Bolger), her brother Jem (Will Pullen), their housekeeper and caretaker, Calpurnia (LaTanya Richardson Jackson), their visiting friend Dill (Gideon Glick), and a mysterious neighbor, the reclusive Arthur “Boo” Radley (Danny Wolohan). Set in Alabama in 1934, “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a coming-of-age story that also gives a penetrating look at racial injustice in the segregated South.
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Moreover, Jeff Daniels, who stars as small-town lawyer Atticus Finch, has agreed to appear in the show for a full year, a very long commitment for a film and television star. As a sign of “To Kill a Mockingbird’s” popularity, the play has an open-ended run. Earlier in December, the Shubert Organization announced the show had set a box office record for the highest weekly gross of any play on Broadway in the organization’s history. The advance currently stands at more than $22 million. 1, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ has not played to an empty seat, with capacity being at 100% or greater for every performance. “Harry Potter” topped itself over the weekend putting up best-ever numbers for any play in Broadway history with $2,525,850. production boasts elaborate special effects, a sprawling theater, and a tie-in with a film and literary franchise. They don’t equal the numbers of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” but that U.K. Even with that caveat, “To Kill a Mockingbird’s” seven-figure weekly grosses are the kind usually reserved for musicals.
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As the trial approaches, Atticus must choose whether to buckle under the mounting pressure or to stand his ground and fight for what is right.Musicals such as “Frozen” and “Hamilton” may gross higher numbers, but they also perform in larger venues. With his decision to defend Tom, Atticus finds himself ostracised from the community, and the lives of his family put into danger. When local black man Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white girl, Scout's lawyer father Atticus Finch takes on the case, determined to try and give Tom a fair trial. Told through the eyes of 13-year-old Scout, Mockingbird is set in the pre-civil rights era Deep South of the 1930s.
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Producer Scott Rudin has also assured fans that Mockingbird's controversial follow-up Go Set a Watchman, which cast a wholly different light on Atticus Finch, is not being looked to for inspiration. While adapting such a story is a daunting task, Sorkin has promised not to be too overly reverent and will be adding in new dialogue and fleshing out some scenes which were only passingly mentioned in the text. In today's current climate, its themes of prejudice and inequality seem just as prescient, while the book's steadfast lawyer Atticus Finch remains the gold-standard for noble heroes. Rolling Stone gives it 5 stars, calling it an emotionally shattering landmark production of an American classic, and New York Magazine calls it a real phenomenon. Starring Ed Harris as Atticus Finch!Ī portrait of simmering racial tension in a small southern town, To Kill a Mockingbird is considered one of the greatest American novels ever written. The New York Times Critic’s Pick TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is the most successful American play in Broadway history ( 60 Minutes ). One of American literature's greatest works, Mockingbird tells the story of a black man accused of rape in pre-civil rights era Alabama and the noble lawyer who defends him. Harper Lee's iconic novel has arrived on the Broadway stage for the first time ever, in a brand new adaptation by Oscar-winner Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network). Two-time Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear returns as Atticus Finch!
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