International NewsRhys Ifans to Star in West End To Kill a MockingbirdThe stage and screen star will play Atticus Finch when the Aaron Sorkin–penned adaptation premieres in London.
The stage and screen star, perhaps best-known for his roles in Notting Hill and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 Harry Potter films, was recently seen in On Bear Ridge at the Royal Court, and in Patrick Marber's adaptation of Exit the King.
Producers Scott Rudin, Barry Diller, and Sonia Friedman Productions will bring the Aaron Sorkin–penned play, directed by Bartlett Sher, to London’s Gielgud Theatre. Previews begin May 21, 2020, and opening night is set for June 11. Additional casting will be announced.
The current Broadway production opened December 13, 2018, and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning for Celia Keenan-Bolger’s portrayal of Scout Finch. A national tour starring Richard Thomas as Atticus Finch will launch August 25, 2020, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The tour will continue for over two years.
The Alabama-set story is staged as a memory play, with Scout recalling the 1930s trial in which her father defended a black man accused of raping a white girl.
The Broadway cast is currently led by four-time Academy Award nominee Ed Harris as Atticus, Nina Grollman as Scout, Nick Robinson as Jem, Taylor Trensch as Dill Harris, Eliza Scanlen as Mayella Ewell, Kyle Scatliffe as Tom Robinson, and LisaGay Hamilton as Calpurnia. Joining them are Manoel Felciano as Horace Gilmer, Russell Harvard as Link Deas and Boo Radley, M. Emmet Walsh as Judge Taylor, Patricia Conolly as Mrs. Dubose, Christopher Innvar as Sheriff Heck Tate, William Youmans as Mr. Roscoe and Dr. Reynolds, and ensemble members Rosalyn Coleman, Gene Gillette, Luke Smith, and Yaegel T. Welch. Original cast members Neal Huff and Ted Koch will be taking on the roles of Bob Ewell and Mr. Cunningham, respectively. Liv Rooth is reprising her role as Ms. Stephanie, and Rebecca Watson, Aubie Merrylees, David Manis, Baize Buzan, Steven Lee Johnson, and Geoffrey Allen Murphy will again be part of the production’s ensemble.
The Scott Rudin and Lincoln Center Theater co-production on Broadway features sets by Miriam Buether, costumes by Ann Roth, lighting design by Jennifer Tipton, sound design by Scott Lehrer, and an original score by Adam Guettel. Casting is by Daniel Swee.
The production will include Bernstein’s incidental music for Lillian Hellman’s adaptation of The Lark, and Menotti’s The Unicorn, The Gorgon, and The Manticore.
