![]() ![]() 23, with plans for spring return at another theater. The move follows the news that “Girl from the North Country” will close at the Belasco Theatre on Jan. But I think the response now is stronger … are we going to erase history so we can feel good? Are we going to own our shadow, or pretend that we don’t have it? That’s the big question.“To Kill a Mockingbird” will end its run at the Shubert Theatre on Sunday and move to the Belasco Theatre this June. “I think the play has always had resonance. The fact that this story has been banned, it’s almost inconceivable to me, because there’s so much of our shared culture,” he says. “The play has so much sheer humanity, so the story, it’s not preachy. That humor and the directorial choices help make the subject matter more digestible, Thomas maintains Bartlett, the director, created a very fluid production that is constantly moving.” There’s tragedy in the play, but there’s also comedy. And he made the relationship between Atticus and Calpurnia central to the play. “So we have a journey that Atticus takes, which makes it far more exciting for the actor. ![]() He adds that, in this iteration, the character of Atticus listens and learns. He’s given him his own sense of humor, so he isn’t this sort of perfectly noble man.” ![]() With Atticus, he’s given him a very human aspect. And the left are angry that white guys come in to save the day. “The right and the white establishment say that the story makes them look bad. “Aaron likes to say that either way there’s going to be pushback … and mocking from the left and the right,” Thomas recalls. Thomas says Sorkin is well aware of the tightrope the play walks, bringing a story set during Jim Crow and plopping it down in the middle of the current zeitgeist. It’s as if he anticipated all that has happened in the last few years.” And these days, even with the tragedy and outrage, we see the country once again up in arms about something so important - how they were dealing with all the tragedy and outrage. He didn’t jump on the George Floyd bandwagon of outrage that was so justified … he was writing this play before that. “ Aaron Sorkin was really prescient when he was writing this play in 2017. Do we become cynical and give up? How do we realize our expectations and move forward? This is the story of America in a way, and social justice. “It’s about our institutions and how they fail us and how we respond. “It’s a story about idealized ideas of who we are as a country and the reality,” Thomas says of the story at the foundation of the play. The play might be doing well because of the current political climate (anti-wokeism, attempts to erase Black history, institutional injustice) and the popularity of its lead actor (the character John-Boy on “The Waltons” is iconic TV lore). Welch stars as Tom Robinson in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” “We’ve done the show in 10 of our markets so far, and every one of the markets has responded and reacted very, very well to the show,” she adds. We don’t always have the opportunity … you know, there’s a play in New York and it just may not tour. And so when we have an opportunity to bring play, we do that. We do surveys annually to hear what they want to see, and they’re very savvy, and they know what’s going on in New York. Krajsa, who is based in Fort Lauderdale, explains, “A lot of our strategy does involve listening to the audience, and we pay very careful attention. It brought “War Horse” in 2013 and “Love Letters” starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal in 2015. Though rare, this is not the first time Broadway Across America has made a play part of the Broadway season at the Broward Center. But it’s more rewarding because of all the feeling - have more of an active experience, a little more leaning forward into it.” A play … is more about listening to the language, so there is a little work in that for people with the play. “Musicals are very extrovert experiences. “It’s a little more work than a musical,” he adds. The actor also toured Fort Lauderdale and Miami in “12 Angry Men” back in 2007. It’s a lot of work, but it’s a great experience to go around the country with a company like the one that I’m in. Thomas, who has been touring with the play since last spring, says, “If you’re going to take any play around the country, this is the play, this is the story. ![]()
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