Review: To Kill A Mockingbird UK Tour, Glasgow
- Lisa in the theatre
- 4 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Aaron Sorkin's Broadway and West End adaptation of Harper Lee's unforgettable novel To Kill A Mockingbird has arrived in Glasgow this week as part of its first ever UK tour. Directed by Tony award-winning director Bartlett Sher, and starring Richard Coyle as Atticus Finch, reprising his role from the West End, To Kill A Mockingbird plays at the King's Theatre, Glasgow from Tuesday 4 - Saturday 8 November 2025. Read my review of this sublime piece of theatre below.
To Kill A Mockingbird UK tour ★★★★★
Review: 4 November 2025 | The King's Theatre, Glasgow
Set in the American south in the 1930's Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird is a classic of modern literature. Taught in schools and colleges the world over, the book about honour, racial injustice and American life during The Great Depression introduced us to unforgettable characters such as lawyer Atticus Finch, his spirited daughter Scout and their mysterious neighbour Boo Radley.
Oscar winning writer Aaron Sorkin's stage adaptation of the beloved book has played on Broadway and in London's West End. His ambitious reworking for the theatre stage loses none of Lee's core storyline, but Sorkin does do what he does best and puts his own spin on it to create a gripping, fast-paced thriller for the modern audience.
To Kill A Mockingbird tells the story of respected Alabama lawyer Atticus Finch (Richard Coyle) who, firmly committed to justice, takes on the case of a black man (Aaron Shosanya) falsely accused of attacking a white girl. In the play the events are told through the eyes of three children: Atticus's daughter Scout (Anna Munden), her elder brother Jem (Gabriel Scott) and a boy visiting the neighbourhood for the summer whom they have befriend, Dill (Dylan Malyn.)
The children are all played by young adult actors who universally bring childlike innocence, joy and high spirits to the play, and whose enchanting performances help to offset the shocking language, hatred and tragic injustice on display elsewhere in the core story.
Sorkin and Sher's adaptation is surprisingly funny at times, with most of the humour coming from the kids antics. However the decision to cast adults to play the children is a wise one; the wider material is arguably too dark to feature actual minors. But moreover, all three performers do a remarkable job of portraying these important characters, with Dylan Malyn in particular - who remarkably, makes his professional theatre debut here - gloriously stealing every scene he's in.
The courtroom scene runs all the way through the stage play
Another change that Sorkin has introduced is that the climactic courtroom scene from the book now runs all the way through the stage play, with the children narrating flashbacks to fill in the backstory. This gives the play a continuous and welcome balance of light and shade, and is equally as effective at keeping the energy and pace heightened for the entire live show.
As the dramatic scenes frequently change, so to Miriam Buether's impressive set glides in and out from the wings. The busy courtroom is replaced by the Finch's solid wooden porch and furniture, and then back again repeatedly. And while the heavy, dynamic set looks grand and authentic, I did find the rolling and clunking of the massive set pieces distracting the first few times it happened.
As the show went on, the transitions either became more polished or I learned to notice them less. Either way, the physical sets are much preferred here to the use of video projections or flat backcloths for example; the quality and substance of them matching the weight and quality of the writing, direction and performances.
One of the strongest ensemble casts I've seen on stage this year
Acclaimed Broadway theatre director Bartlett Sher ensures that the characters here embrace Sorkin's trademark 'walk and talk' style but never deviate from the spirit of Lee's original creations.
Reprising a role he played in the West End, Richard Coyle's Atticus Finch is sublime. The softly spoken, emotionally intelligent, tortured single father transforms when under pressure in the courtroom, and in Coyle's hands, he becomes more human, more flawed than in the book. It's a considered, powerful and touching performance from Coyle worthy of all the praise being heaped upon him.
Coyle is ably supported by a sensational ensemble cast including the aforementioned children, a magnificent turn from Stephen Boxer as the judge, and a terrifying portrayal of the ghastly Bob Ewell from Oscar Pearce. But it's Aaron Shosanya's falsely accused Tom Robinson whose quiet acceptance of his fate, and whose unwavering gentlemanly manners in the face of unspeakable cruelty, is utterly devastating. His heartache and resignation are clearly etched on his face.
To Kill A Mockingbird the play does run long at almost 3 hours including an interval, and the post-trial scenes in particular could've been wrapped up a little quicker. But there is a lot of story to tell here, and the creatives have done a great job of condensing the novel without losing any of the key plot points.
The frequent use of offensive, racist language throughout the play is jarring. I understand that it's necessary to the plot but that doesn't make it any less hard to hear. And that ability to shock and repulse is exactly why To Kill A Mockingbird still works today. Yes the book may have been published in 1960 but the language used by the townsfolk and the lynch mob is, alarmingly, rearing its head again in Trump's America.
Sorkin and Sher's stage adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird is sublime piece of theatre which, despite a few minor criticisms, succeeds in transporting Lee's unforgettable story to the stage with quality and class. It's a powerful, disturbing, necessary theatre production with one of the strongest ensemble casts I've seen on stage this year. ★★★★★
To Kill A Mockingbird plays at the King's Theatre, Glasgow until Saturday 8 Nov 2025. Buy tickets here https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/to-kill-a-mockingbird/kings-theatre-glasgow/
To Kill A Mockingbird UK tour cast
Full casting is announced today for the first ever UK & Ireland tour of Aaron Sorkin’s riveting stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the seminal American novel about racial injustice and childhood innocence that became a Broadway and West End sensation with sell-out seasons on both sides of the Atlantic.
Acclaimed stage and screen actor Richard Coyle (The Player Kings, Macbeth, Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore) returns to this iconic production as Atticus Finch, reprising the role he played to great critical acclaim in the 2022 West End Production.
Coyle will be joined by Anna Munden as Scout Finch, Gabriel Scott as Jem Finch, Dylan Malyn as Dill Harris, Andrea Davy as Calpurnia, Stephen Boxer as Judge Taylor, Aaron Shosanya as Tom Robinson, Oscar Pearce as Bob Ewell, Evie Hargreaves as Mayella Ewell, Richard Dempsey as Horace Gilmer, Sarah Finigan as Mrs. Dubose, Phillipa Flynn as Miss Stephanie / Dill’s Mother, Harry Attwell as Mr. Cunningham / Boo (Arthur) Radley, Colin R Campbell as Sheriff Heck Tate and Simon Hepworth as Link Deas, with Paul Albertson, James Mitchell, Jonathan Rubin, Cheryl Burniston, Charlotte Luxford, Oyin Orija, Tiwai Muza, Tom Brace-Jenkins, and John J. O’Hagan.
To Kill A Mockingbird UK tour dates and venues
Opening at Leeds Playhouse where the production played from 8 September - 4 October 2025, this riveting courtroom drama will tour to Nottingham, Edinburgh, Leicester, Glasgow, Bath, Cardiff, Eastbourne, Salford, Sheffield, Dublin, Belfast, Plymouth, Canterbury, Southampton, Birmingham, Newcastle, Norwich, Liverpool, and Milton Keynes.
King's Theatre, Glasgow
Tue 4 Nov - Sat 8 Nov 2025
Glasgow tickets from: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/to-kill-a-mockingbird/kings-theatre-glasgow/
UK tour tickets from: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/to-kill-a-mockingbird/
For a full tour schedule and cast biographies, see mockingbirdplay.com
