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YOUNGSTOWN PLAYHOUSE The power of ‘Mockingbird’
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
YOUNGSTOWN
The Youngstown Playhouse will present the classic drama “To Kill A Mockingbird,” adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1960 novel by Harper Lee, for a two-weekend run beginning Friday.
The story of racial injustice, courage, empathy and loss of innocence remains one of the most widely read and studied books in America.
James McClellan will take on the lead role of lawyer and widower Atticus Finch, who struggles to raise his children in a small Alabama town during the Depression. Finch roils the town with his courtroom defense of a black man accused of rape.
His children, Scout and Jem, will be played by Mikel Faltley and Nick Narkum. Rounding out the featured roles are Donny Wolford as Dill and Brenda Hickman as Miss Maudie.
Co-directors are John Pecano and Candace DiLullo, who shared their thoughts on the production:
Q. “Mockingbird” is a pillar of American literature. It has been read by countless students over the years, and the 1962 film adaptation starring Gregory Peck is one of the greatest in American cinema. With that in mind, how will you tackle the story and present it for the Playhouse stage?
A. Pecano: As is the case with any adaptation, there is a lot that has been cut or reworded for the sake of time and flow. When dealing with something so iconic, it’s often quite tempting to mimic. For example, pretty much everyone pictures Atticus Finch as the wonderful Gregory Peck. We are thus presented with two options: copy him, or make him our own. I’m always a huge proponent of the latter. The immensely gifted Jimmy McClellan has done just that, instilling all the qualities we expect in Atticus, but in a different way that Peck or any other actor has done in the past. Also, Joe Scarvell, who plays the judge, has become our resident dramaturge. He’s been going through the original novel and highlighting important passages that are left out of the script. We are trying to incorporate these into our staging. For example, there’s a lengthy passage describing the judge’s physical characteristics and habits in the courtroom. None of these are described in the play at all, but we are still able to work them in, thus making it more true to the novel.
Q. The courthouse scenes are most popular, but there are many others in “Mockingbird.” What kind of sets have been created to handle the varied locations?
A. Pecano: Fortunately, a majority of the play takes place in two main places: the neighborhood of Atticus Finch and the courtroom. There are a few brief scenes that occur elsewhere, but they are quite simple. The neighborhood is done in a scaled down realistic design, with usable porches, doors and even some interior space in the Finch home. This, as well as the courtroom, makes full use of the entire stage. The biggest problem we had to overcome was the transition between the two. The story doesn’t simply take place in the neighborhood in one act and the courtroom in the other, so it’s not as easy as just changing the set at intermission. We had to build something that changed quickly while people were still on stage, and I think the audience will be surprised at just how quickly and seamlessly this is done. There’s absolutely no break in action and only one complete blackout in the entire show, so it moves along nicely. There are none of your normal 30-second scene changes, which I am very happy about. To complement the set, the lighting is designed by one of the area’s best, Ellen Licitra.
Q. Special performances of “Mockingbird” will be presented for school students. What is planned?
A. DiLullo: The show will be performed as written for local middle- and high-school students at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday, October 19 and 20. Normally, our school performances don’t go much over 45 minutes, but with a show based on a novel that from which so much has already been cut, we wanted to make sure students got the full version to gain as much knowledge of the book as we have to offer.
Q. Children are main characters in “Mockingbird.” Who do you have in the roles of Scout, Jem and Dill, and why did you cast them?
A. DiLullo: Scout is played by Mikel Rose Flatley. We cast Mikel because, well, she pretty much is Scout! She’s quick witted, sporty and has absolutely no problem holding her own against the older boys. A friend of ours told Mikel to audition for us, and after hearing her read with her natural little twang and cute, freckled face, we really had a hard time seeing someone else in the role — which is not to say there wasn’t stiff competition for the part. We had nine girls audition for the role of Scout, and all of them were really impressive and gave completely different interpretations of the character. Mikel just had a special something that made her portrayal of Scout effortless.
The role of Jem is played by Nick Narkum. Nick had done two other shows for [Pecano] and I in the past, and he’s just a good kid. He’s smart, helpful, thoughtful and is not afraid to work hard to get the job done. We’ve known Nick for a little over a year, and every time we see him on stage, whether he’s doing a show for us or someone else, you can see a definite improvement in his abilities. We knew Nick would do all he can to bring our vision of Jem to life.
Dill is played by Donny Wolford. Donny, like Dill, is very imaginative and has the sensitivity of someone twice his age. Dill brings a different perspective to the Finch kids about their everyday life and, in the same token, Donny brings a different perspective to Dill that I hadn’t seen before. Any director would feel honored to have this young man in their cast.