
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, February 26, 1994                   TAG: 9402260053
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: C12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: KAREN L. DAVIS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

'MOCKINGBIRD' IS A TRIUMPH FOR MILL MOUNTAIN

Fans of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird," will not be disappointed by Mill Mountain Theatre's production adapted to the stage by Christopher Sergel. The play faithfully captures the compassionate tone and nostalgic quality of the book and brings to life this timeless story about a small-town Southern lawyer who defends a black man wrongfully accused of rape .

Set in the 1930s in racially tense Maycomb County, Ala., the story is told through the eyes of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, as she recounts the trauma the townspeople experienced when her father, Atticus Finch, defended a case no other lawyer would touch.

Elizabeth McGuire skillfully narrates her experiences as the present-day, grown-up Jean Louise, while Chandler Brooke Givens, a sixth-grade student at Andrew Lewis Middle School in Salem, plays the younger Scout. Past and present are juxtaposed on either side of a scrim, and scenes shift seamlessly in time by raising or lowering the drop and by lighting the front or back of the transparent curtain.

Neil Larson, with his tall stature and deep, commanding voice, gives his Atticus Finch a quietly powerful presence on stage. His character pits education and justice against ignorance and inequality.

The children in the show give charming and credible performances. Brian X. Conlan, also a sixth-grader at Andrew Lewis Middle School, portrays Atticus' son, Jem. And Richie "Deuce" Cannaday, a student at Cloverdale Elementary School in Botetourt County, plays Dill, Jem and Scout's childhood cohort.

A better-known Roanoke cast member is the Rev. Dr. Noel C. Taylor, who appears in selected performances as the dignified Rev. Sykes. Members of Taylor's congregation pack the "Negro" balcony during the courtroom scene.

Ivan Jourdain plays Tom Robinson, the man on trial for his life. His accuser is Mayella Ewell, played by Stephanie Lynge, who effectively uses a hillbilly vernacular to make her nervous and cowering character come across as "white trash."

Graham Frye is Mayella's abusive father, Bob Ewell. Appearing in ragged jacket and dirty jeans, Frye turns Ewell into one of those characters audiences love to hate, a loathsome, cursing, tobacco-spitting slimeball.

Roanoke City special education teacher Vanessa Haskins plays Calpurnia, the Finch family's devoted cook and caretaker.

Director Ernest Zulia has pulled together all of the crucial details - excellent acting, nostalgic sets, ethnic costumes and practical technique - to re-create the tenderness and the tragedy of the South in a gripping, memorable drama.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" continues at Center in the Square through March 18. For reservations, call the box office at 342-5740.

by CNB