BUFFALO, N.Y. — The hit Broadway play "To Kill a Mockingbird," based on the best-selling book by Harper Lee, is hitting the road and launching its national tour here in Buffalo when it takes to the stage at Shea's Performing Arts Center on Sunday.
The cast held a panel discussion at Shea's 710 Theatre, including a grown-up Mary Badham whose performance in the 1962 film earned her an Oscar nomination as a child.
The memories are still emotional for her to relive.
"I was not an actor, didn't want to be an actor. It's just something that happened to me, and it has ended up being my life," Badham said at the panel.
She has since dedicated her life to discussing the book's message through school visits, and now she'll get to share it with audiences in a new way, as a member of the touring cast.
American playwright, screenwriter, and film director Aaron Sorkin brought this reimagined version of the play to Broadway back in 2018, and it became the highest-grossing American play in history.
Yaegel T. Welch was in the original Broadway cast and is playing Tom Robinson, the black man on trial for rape, in the touring production.
"Doing the play on Broadway before COVID, it was almost like the story of Tom Robinson was historical. It was something in the past. Doing the show post-COVID, the audiences have changed, the audiences are reacting in a different way," said Welch.
Emmy winner Richard Thomas takes on the role of Attorney Atticus Finch.
The crew has been in town tech rehearsing for about three weeks. Producer Orin Wolf says Buffalo was his first-choice city to launch in.
"The Buffalo subscription base is mind-blowingly good, and not only in terms of volume but in terms of the level of sophistication with the audiences. What we learn by putting a shown its feet in front of you for the very first time is something that really informs how these shows end up going around the country," Wolf said during the panel discussion.
So whether you see "To Kill A Mockingbird" here in Buffalo, or see it in another city, Badham just hopes you see it.
"The first time I saw it on Broadway, well the only time I saw it on Broadway, I was just in tears. I had no makeup left. It was like because it was so good," said Badham.
"To Kill a Mockingbird" opens at Shea's on Sunday, March 27 and runs through Saturday, April 2. Tickets are still available for some performances and can be purchased here.