Review of To Kill A Mockingbird at Milton Keynes Theatre

Harper Lee’s 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird has been a staple on countless best-of lists since its publication and remains a book of immense power and relevance, despite being set nearly 100 years ago, in the early 1930s. Whether you have read the book or seen the groundbreaking film with Gregory Peck, most are familiar with the story. Here, in an extensive UK and Ireland tour, and arriving now at Milton Keynes Theatre, Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation takes to the stage with all the power and relevance of the original.

Sorkin, famous for his ground-breaking TV series The West Wing, and also perhaps more relevant here, the legal film A Few Good Men, takes Lee’s classic and adapts the story to primarily be based around the court case of a certain Tom Robinson, charged with the assault and rape of local girl Mayella Ewell. Leading his defence is Atticus Finch, the kindly man who sees good in everyone.

Lee’s book has Finch's daughter as the narrator; Sorkin cleverly develops this by adding her brother, Jem, and the summer visitor, Dill Harris, as fellow narrators, which adds a spark and playfulness as the children tell the story together.

In the roles of the children, Anna Munden as Scout, Jonathan Rubin as Jem and Dylan Malyn as Dill are tremendous. Sorkin has given them much to work with, and as a trio, their wit and, yes, worldly intelligence drive the tale and make the piece hugely accessible for the audience. Malyn is particularly funny as the often-confused, but tremendously warm-hearted Dill.

As our main adult lead, Patrick O’Kane brings all the gravitas needed to Atticus Finch, an often hidden power, shown rarely blatantly, but constantly showing humanity and kindness, even often against those who do not deserve it. His need to get under people's skin to fully understand them is often lost on others, but, as he describes himself, one man can be the right man, while the rest, acting as a mob, can be wrong. O’Kane gives a brilliant, understated performance in the role.

The consistently superb Stephen Boxer shines in his appearances, and here, as Judge Taylor, he does so once again. Portraying Taylor as rightful, but also with a constant twinkle in the eye and a world-weary stance on certain people in life. During the courtroom scenes, he delivers some of the play's funniest moments.

Where all so far are kindly, less can be said of the “victim” Mary Ewell and her father Bob Ewell; however, Mary here is a victim of someone, if not that of Tom. In the roles, Evie Hargreaves and Oscar Pearce are strong, particularly Hargreaves during her nervy courtroom breakdown under questioning from Finch. Bob is a little more blatantly evil, and Pearce has no issue with making us hate the evil little man of the story.

Finally, of note among the cast to mention is, of course, Aaron Shosanya as Tom Robinson, a man of immense kindness, found in a horrific position by people set in horrid ways. His charm and calmness on the stand are superb, and Shosanya makes the story of what is to come even more devastating for his character.

Directed by Bartlett Sher, To Kill a Mockingbird is a brilliant, flowing piece with little pause in the action. This is helped by Miriam Buether’s brilliantly constructed rustic set, which looks totally in style for the period and allows complete and swift transitions between scenes, particularly between the primary ones of the courtroom and the Finch home. Costume design by Ann Roth maintains the period dress superbly, and Scott Lehrer's sound, alongside the composer Adam Guettel’s work, creates a perfect picture of 1930s Alabama. Opening night at Milton Keynes did suffer from a few minor spotlight issues, but nothing that could impact this tremendous piece of theatre.

To Kill a Mockingbird remains as relevant as ever, which, in many ways, is a horrific thought: in some places, little has changed. However, for a piece of theatre, this is tremendous to see and keeps your full interest despite running close to three hours. I strongly recommend you see this production if the tour comes to your town; it is a must-see for anyone interested in powerful, relevant theatre.

Superb acting, crisp storytelling and stunning staging make this a book to stage classic.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Tuesday 19th May, 2026 at the Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes.

To Kill A Mockingbird runs at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, 23rd May 2026 before continuing its tour.

For further details about Milton Keynes, see their website at https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/

For further details of the tour, see the website at https://www.mockingbirdplay.com/

Photographs: Johan Persson
(Some images depict different cast members from those mentioned within this review.)

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