Months ago, my mom offered us their tickets to the play, "To Kill a Mockingbird." It was a no-brainer. We absolutely wanted to go. In preparation for the play, I decided to re-read the book. The last time I read, "To Kill a Mockingbird" was in high school. It was an assignment for a class which made the reading less fun. This time around, I was so engaged while reading. I gave the book 5 stars and think its message is still extremely prevalent today. I'm glad for the refresher before going to the play. You forget a lot in 10+ years.
My parents had 4 tickets to "To Kill a Mockingbird," so we invited our friends, Michael and Valerie Bradshaw to join us. We had a spectacular evening out. We even carpooled. Since the play was at Eccles theater in Salt Lake City, we obviously had to take advantage of being close to so many delicious restaurants.
We ate at Cafe Molisse, an Italian restaurant. It had good reviews and I was excited. It was okay/disappointing. I ordered lasagna and I think mine may have been the best dish at our table. Just saying. It was pretty good, but not the best I've had, and not worth the price tag. Andrew's noodles were far too al dente. All of our meals came with a house salad. The salad lacked lots. I wondered why the waiter asked if we wanted to upgrade our salads for more money and later understood. A plate full of plain lettuce wasn't what I expected. (No croutons or vegetables in sight) The rolls at the table were yummy though. At the end of the meal, we all agreed that we probably wouldn't choose to eat there again.
When the play started, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. I was surprised by the order of events. It started with the ending which threw me off for a second. They nailed this play! The way the play was sequenced was brilliant. There were snippets in between the court scenes to help set the scene and break up the monotony of the courtroom. Scout stole the show! Her accent was spot on and she was perfect for the role. Atticus also fit the bill. He wasn't quite what I envisioned, but I warmed up to him. The play was witty and kept the audience engaged and chuckling.
Our seats were high up and not close to the stage, but we were centered. Valerie does costume design and since I've been to a few plays with her, I now notice the outfits more than ever. I guess she is rubbing off on me. I found it odd that Mr. Ewell was wearing a snappy suit for court. It seemed out of character. He has kids galore and his family is known for living in poverty. There are some gruesome parts of this story. It was great that we didn't have to watch gory death scenes, and that we didn't have to miss out on the plot. Instead got to listen to the events retold. Andrew was astounded by Mayella's testimony in court. She was passionate.
Plays aren't usually Michael's preferred date night activity, but he even liked "To Kill a Mockingbird." I was on my feet applauding along with hundreds of others. A standing ovation was deserved. Thanks, Mom and Dad for the tickets! Bring on "Lion King" at Eccles theater next month!
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