Andrea Davy Archives - North West End UK

To Kill a Mockingbird – Sheffield Lyceum

28Jan

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

To Kill a Mockingbird – Sheffield Lyceum

A man of colour stands accused of a crime he did not commit, and yet he is judged more for the colour of his skin than his words of defence. His white lawyer is judged for representing him. His town is divided along racial lines, and between those who seek progress and those who want to preserve the old way of life. An all-too-common description of events we see in the news in 2026, yes. But also the plot of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, set in 1930s Alabama. An era defined by the struggle for progress, equality and freedom. A story that remains chillingly relevant today. This production of To Kill a Mockingbird, adapted by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Bartlett Sher, uses Sorkin’s extensive screenwriting experience from shows such as The West Wing and The Newsroom alon...

15Jan

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

To Kill a Mockingbird – The Lowry

If the rest of my theatrical year measures up to this stunning start, then I am in for a vintage 2026. My first outing is a superb stage rendering of Harper Lee’s 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird, currently midway through an extensive UK tour following its runaway success on the London stage earlier this decade. A distinctly diverse audience greeted the production at the cavernous Lyric Theatre in Salford for this packed press night. A mixture of ageing grey hairs (like myself), with distant memories of studying the book for O-level, mingled with excitable GCSE students who have encountered Scout, Atticus and Boo Radley much more recently. All were entranced by the stage adaptation of the novel which, whilst staying faithful to the spirit and morality of the original, managed to find 21...

19Sep

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

To Kill a Mockingbird – Leeds Playhouse

Generations of school children have read To Kill a Mockingbird’s tale of racial injustice in 1930s Alabama as past history, but watching citizens in today’s America being arrested without any due process means it has once again become a warning. With his background as the creator of the unashamedly liberal The West Wing, it was obvious Oscar winning writer Aaron Sorkin would bring something new to the theatrical version of Harper Lee’s classic novel. Lee tells the story of a small town lawyer Atticus Finch, who agrees to defend a black man Tom Robinson accused of raping a white woman, much to the disgust of many in the fictional segregated town of Maycomb. The story is told by Finch’s feisty daughter Scout looking back at events that changed her family’s lives forever, and ther...

13Dec

By Louise PennNo Comments

London

The Little Foxes – Young Vic

A rare revival for Lillian Hellman's play, set at the turn of the 20th century. With a title taken from the Bible's Song of Solomon, The Little Foxes is a family drama set in Alabama's cotton country. Regina, Ben and Oscar are siblings living closely together, a family who gained wealth and power when Oscar charmed and married Birdie, daughter of Southern aristocracy and rich plantation owners. They patronise their black servants and are driven by money. When Regina's husband Horace, sick and tired, fails o respond to a business deal, plans to gain the money with or without him. Lyndsey Turner’s production captures all the nastiness behind closed doors, particularly of the unsuccessful marriages at its heart. There are moments of both physical and emotional violence, and...

Cast announced for revival of Nine Night at Leeds Playhouse

11Aug

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Cast announced for revival of Nine Night at Leeds Playhouse

The cast has been announced for a revival of Nine Night celebrating the rituals of a traditional Jamaican wake. The production at Leeds Playhouse from 24th September to 15th October invites audiences into a traditional Nine Night Jamaican wake for family matriarch Gloria. As the story unfolds her children and grandchildren gather to mark her passing during a night full of humour and deep sorrow as they share memories, good food and grievances older than Gloria’s well-loved dining table. This new production of Natasha Gordon's comedy follows a successful West End run in 2018 which was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and won three awards in the Evening Standard Theatre Awards and Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards. Its three-week run in Leeds is staged in...