Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" - adapted by Christopher Sergel - Umbrella Arts Center (Concord, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: The CAST of the Christopher Sergel adaptation of Harper Lee's "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD," now playing at Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA. until March 22, 2026. Photo Credit: Jim Sabitus)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“Shoot all the bluejays you want... but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird"
- ("Atticus") / Harper Lee
Umbrella Arts Center
Presents Christopher Sergel's
Adaptation of Harper Lee's
"TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD"
Written by Harper Lee
Adapted by Christopher Sergel
Producing Artistic Director Brian Boruta
Directed by Scott Edmiston
Composer/Cellist Valerie Thompson
Cast Includes: Amelia Broome* as “Jean Louise Finch,” Carolyn Saxon* as “Calpurnia ,” Shelly Knight as “Scout,” Barlow Adamson* as “Atticus," Karen Dervin as “Maudie Atkinson,” Steven Barkhimer* as “Heck Tate,” David Berti as “Judge Taylor,” Ellen Peterson as “Stephanie Crawford,” Ryan Spry as “Jem,” June Kfoury as “Mrs. Dubose,” Damon Singletary* as “Reverend Sykes,” Clara Hevia as “Mayella Ewell,” Craig Ciampa as “Bob Ewell,” Joseph Hobbib as “Dill,” Joe LaRocca as “Arthur (Boo) Radley/Nathan Radley,” Jason Myatt as “Mr. Gilmer/Mr.Cunningham,” Bryce Mathieu as “Tom Robinson,” Aliyah Harris as “Helen Robinson.”
Additional Creative Team:
Assistant Director - Joe Juknievich; Stage Manager - Michael T. Lacey*; Technical & Production Manager - Carlie Nieman; Lighting Design - SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal+; Sound Design - Chris Brousseau; Scenic Design - Janie E. Howland+; Costume Design - Rachel Padula-Shufelt; Assistant Stage Manager - Vanessa C. Hart*; Wardrobe Supervisor - Tree Brock; Executive Director, The Umbrella Arts Center - Eileen Williston; EDI Consultants - Kira Troilo, Ari Welch; Company Manager - Cathie Regan.
* Appearing through an Agreement between this theater and Actor's Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
**The Director of this production is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
† The scenic, costume, lighting, and sound designers are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE.
Performances:
February 27, 2026 through March 22, 2026
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
Main Stage Theater THE UMBRELLA ARTS CENTER, 40 Stow Street, Concord, MA. 01742
TICKETS:
For tickets or more information, contact # 978-371-0820 or visit www.theumbrellaarts.org
BUY TICKETS
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(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)
The Umbrella Arts Center in Concord has put together a visually stunning staging of Harper Lee’s quintessential novel "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD" now playing this month.
This stage adaptation is NOT the one on tour by Aaron Sorkin, but this one by Christopher Sergel still achieves expanding upon various aspects of the original Lee story and does so impressively thanks to this fine Umbrella Arts production.
Whatever one's position - should they savor Sergel's approach and loathe Lee's original story - or, instead, should they worship Lee's story and scorn Sergel’s approach - "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD" is still considered the gold standard of American drama.
"TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD" was first published as a novel in 1960 by author Harper Lee.
An instant hit in America, it won the Pulitzer Prize for literature and, even after 60 years, is still widely read in many schools.
Unfortunately, it also STILL resonates as a reflection of our current society (which I wish to God it didn’t).
Despite dealing with serious issues of rape and racial inequality, Lee's story is renowned for its warmth and humor, exemplified by the performances by this tight-knit Umbrella Arts cast under the meticulous direction of Scott Edmiston.
Throughout the visceral Umbrella Arts Center storytelling, much of the action is underscored beautifully by composer/cellist Valerie Thompson.
(Photo: Shelly Knight as “Scout,” Joseph Hobbib as “Dill” and Ryan Spry as “Jem” in a scene from the Christopher Sergel adaptation of Harper Lee's "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD," now playing at Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA. until March 22, 2026. Photo Credit: Jim Sabitus)
The plot and characters are loosely based on Lee’s observations of her family, her neighbors and an event that occurred near her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, in 1936, when she was 10-years-old.
In this adaptation, most of the story is recalled by Jean Louise Finch (as superbly portrayed by Amelia Broome) who, as a child, was known as “Scout.”
Be it the novel, the classic screen adaptation or this latest Umbrella Arts Center stage adaptation, "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD" is, at its heart, a coming-of-age story.
We are in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s between the Great Depression and Jim Crow era.
The Great Depression is reflected in the poverty shared by all of the residents of this small Maycomb community.
Attorney Atticus Finch (Barlow Adamson) is a widower with two children.
The story depicts how Atticus Finch’s daughter, Scout (Shelly Knight) and her brother, Jem (Ryan Spry), each come to gain a better understanding of the world as it truly exists around them.
(Photo: Barlow Adamson as “Atticus Finch" listens intently as Bryce Mathieu testifies as “Tom Robinson” in a scene from the Christopher Sergel adaptation of Harper Lee's "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD," now playing at Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA. until March 22, 2026. Photo Credit: Jim Sabitus)
As part of their journey, there are many associated themes in "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD" that include (but are not limited to): prejudice, intolerance, class hierarchy, integrity, justice, innocence and your basic “good versus evil” conflict.
As attentively portrayed by Knight and Spry, Scout and Jem (along with their friend “Dill” equally well-played by Joseph Hobbib) are picked on by their peers for the mere fact that Atticus is charged with the unenviable task of defending a Black man charged with the vicious rape and murder of a white girl.
While not perfect, Atticus strives to be a person of integrity, to live according to what he feels is right as he defends the Black defendant.
As movingly rendered by Adamson, Finch is not portrayed as a “White savior” figuratively wearing his “white cowboy hat” (perhaps to match his literal white suit?) coming along to save the day like Mighty Mouse.
No, instead Atticus is seen as quite flawed, quite human - and his children must soon begin to see their father AS fallible - less of a hero in their eyes but rather more of a man, and they must choose to accept their parent as imperfect…as human…as he is.
(Photo: Damon Singletary as “Reverend Sykes,” Carolyn Saxon as “Calpurnia” and Shelly Knight as “Scout” in a scene from the Christopher Sergel adaptation of Harper Lee's "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD," now playing at Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA. until March 22, 2026. Photo Credit: Jim Sabitus)
The two-act play explores prejudice based not only on the surface, notably the surface of one’s skin pigmentation, but also prejudice based on economic and social class.
If we consider what justice is supposed to be, if it cannot come from the letter of the law nor our own legal system, where does one look to find it?
The Ewells are a poor family, ostracized by society with Mr. Ewell suspected of child abuse. Mr. Ewell (Craig Ciampa) deflects his crimes onto innocent Black man Tom Robinson (Bryce Mathieu) whose only crime was showing kindness to Mayella Ewell (Clara Hevia).
Both Ciampa and Hevia have (quite possibly) the hardest roles to render in this adaptation as it requires the actors to approach the Ewells in such a way to make them appear not only antagonistic, not only ignorant, venomous and racist…but also, to some extent, tragic and even sympathetic.
And both actors do so quite efficiently.
(Photo: Shelly Knight as “Scout,” Joseph Hobbib as “Dill,” Barlow Adamson as “Atticus Finch" and Ryan Spry as “Jem” look up at Bryce Mathieu as “Tom Robinson” in a scene from the Christopher Sergel adaptation of Harper Lee's "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD," now playing at Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA. until March 22, 2026. Photo Credit: Jim Sabitus)
Tom, as movingly played by Bryce Mathieu, is a kind man accused of rape, jailed, convicted, and stands trial for which, if found guilty, will be executed for his crime.
The entire supporting cast is notable with additional standout performances coming from Carolyn Saxon as the Finch family’s loving but no-nonsense housekeeper “Calpurnia” and Damon Singletary as the town’s kindly “Reverend Sykes” who champions Tom’s innocence against all odds.
Using the optics granted to us as a society and using Sergel’s adaptation as a more modern “lens,” one might see clearly the prejudice that still exists today as represented by an unseen jury in "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD."
(Photo: The CAST of the Christopher Sergel adaptation of Harper Lee's "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD," now playing at Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA. until March 22, 2026. Photo Credit: Jim Sabitus)
The set design for the Umbrella Arts Center production is enhanced by acutely-positioned lighting and well-executed sound which includes the underscoring by cellist Thompson.
The Christopher Sergel adaptation of Harper Lee's "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD," continues to soar to new artistic heights at Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA. through March 22nd, 2026.
Coming up next at Umbrella Arts Center will be the Broadway musical smash "HAIRSPRAY" by Mark O'Donnell, Thomas Meehan, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman which runs from April 24th through May 17th, 2026.
For tickets or more information, contact Umbrella Arts Center at # 978-371-0820 or visit www.theumbrellaarts.org
BUY TICKETS
Approximately two hours with one intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD" opens in a sleepy Alabama town in the midst of the Great Depression, where Scout and her brother, Jem, live with their widowed father, lawyer Atticus Finch.
While the children act out stories and muse about their mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley, the facade of their seemingly peaceful town begins to crack when a young black man is accused of a terrible crime.
Driven by an unshakeable moral conviction, Atticus defends the man in a trial that sends violent waves through the community, teaching young Scout about prejudice, compassion and the courage to do what is right.
This hard-hitting work is an all-new production of Harper Lee’s story that is timeless, lingering, and searingly relevant.
ABOUT THE UMBRELLA ARTS CENTER
THE UMBRELLA ARTS CENTER enriches lives and builds a vibrant and inclusive community through the arts. THE UMBRELLA ARTS CENTER promotes creativity, learning, personal growth, and cultural exchange through accessible arts education programs, performing and visual arts presentations, and community collaborations.
40 Stow Street
Concord, MA. 01742
# 978-371-0820
