Yesterday brought a sunny London day and an evening trip to
Regents Park Open Air Theatre to see ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’.
A gathering of friends for a picnic and Pimms beforehand
made for a great start to the evening. We
settled on the lawns just outside the theatre but you can also go inside when
the doors open about an hour before performance time. Once inside there are various food options if
you haven’t organised your own. There is
a limited amount of waiter service dining, a BBQ, picnic hampers to purchase and
a buffet. The latter has been themed for
2013 productions with spicy Cajun bean soup, pulled pork with sticky sauce,
sweet potato and collard green pie and Georgia spiced peaches and cream just
some of the dishes on offer last night to help evoke the American Deep South. (You can pre-book some of the food options
when you book your tickets).
The bar is built under the tiers of the auditorium and is
the longest in the West End. It is
guarded by pillars of trellis where clematis intertwines with tiny fairy lights
to create an enchanting and verdant setting.
(Drinks can be taken into the auditorium and the bar is usually open for
a little while after performances).
I was curious to see how Harper Lee’s novel would be created
on stage. A classic of American
literature and a film with Gregory Peck winning an Oscar for his portrayal of
Atticus Finch – it’s a hard act to follow.
The Regents Park approach was innovative and effective. It began with actors popping up throughout
the audience and reading out snippets from the novel before gathering on stage
and chalking out a town map on the floor.
The cast were excellent without exception but the show was stolen by the
young actors playing Scout, Jem and Dill – charming and captivating. Robert Sean Leonard (House, Dead Poets
Society) managed the seemingly impossible by giving us an Atticus that didn’t
make us yearn for Mr Peck – a feat in itself – and provided the solid moral
backbone to give us hope for a better future. Those of an emotional disposition
should prepare for a few tears. After
the standing ovation I made my way out with a lump in my throat.
If you hadn’t guessed already I loved it. My partner (not a great novel reader by his
own admission) had recently seen the film for the first time and was left
(whisper the sacrilege) unimpressed. So
I didn’t think the stage version could fare any better. Wrong!!!
He loved it. He hadn’t been to
the Open Air Theatre before either and he loved that too. A wonderful, magical evening.
NB: to ensure your evening is perfect take layers of
warm clothing. I can’t emphasis this
enough. A glorious sunny 6.30pm can turn
into a chilly 10.30pm. If you think you’ve
packed enough add another layer or two to be on the safe side. Also allow time for loo queues.
Apologies for no photos to accompany this post as there's a 'no photographs' rule at the theatre but do go and discover it for yourself.
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