TURNERS FALLS — A new production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” at the Ja’Duke Theater this weekend and next aims to show that this story is even more relevant than we might have thought.
The show is based on the classic novel by Harper Lee, published in 1960, but set in the 1930s in Alabama. The major point of drama is the legal trial of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of sexually assaulting a white woman; but the story mostly stays in the perspective of the white, elementary school-aged Scout Finch, whose father Atticus Finch is the lawyer defending Tom Robinson.
The racial conflict has always been the obvious discussion point from the book and its various adaptations. But cast members pointed out aspects that feel even more timeless.
“It’s really about us-versus-them, and the dangers of a mob mentality,” said Nick DeRuiter, who plays Atticus Finch in the Ja’Duke production. “When people devolve into mobs, they lose access to their consciences. That’s very relevant.”
Us-versus-them conflicts of all kinds run throughout the story, said Tom Kokonowski, who plays the prosecutor: rich versus poor, outsiders versus crowds, traditional “nuclear families” versus non-traditional ones.
For director Michael Glazier, that ever-present conflict is one of the most important parts of the story that he wants audiences here to see.
“In the upper valley, we have this tendency to believe we’re above it all,” he observed.
The play may even hint at a solution, said Jackson Browne, who plays Tom Robinson. The play focuses on the human tendency to judge others quickly, based on group identities, he said; but it also emphasizes the importance of seeing one another as individuals.
“This stuff is going to happen regardless, no matter the time period,” he said.
This production uses a stageplay script that was written in the 1960s and authorized by Harper Lee, Glazier said. Compared to the newer adaptation that is now on Broadway, this one is much closer to the novel, he said. Dialogue is often reproduced word-for-word, and entire scenes appear in mostly the same way as in the novel.
Likewise, it reproduces the structure and rhythms of the novel. Glazier noted how the show often switches gear suddenly, going from mob violence and overt racism to quiet scenes of the Finch family home.
“It has a way of keeping you off balance,” he said.
Showtimes this week are Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Next week they are Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $12 for seniors ages 65 and older or children ages 12 and under.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 261.