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'Mockingbird' On Stage In Denver Has A Nice Pace

DENVER (CBS4) - It's a classic American book and a classic American movie, which makes it a challenge for any theater company attempting to capture the atmosphere and tone of "To Kill a Mockingbird."

But that hasn't stopped the Denver Center Theatre Company.

CBS4 Critic at Large Greg Moody reviewed the production.

"'To Kill a Mockingbird' is one of my favorite books, one of my favorite movies; so the rhythms, the language, the images, are all fixed up here," Moody said. "The challenge for an acting company is to make me see and hear them differently."

"To Kill a Mockingbird" is a story of memory -- beautifully narrated by Kathleen McCall as the adult Scout -- matched in youth by Caroline Rosenblum. The two capture the energy and grit of the child -- the quiet memory of the adult, according to Moody.

The key role is that of Atticus Finch, the father in the midst of a life-changing trial who still is able to reach his children with gentleness and insight. Moody said John Hutton, long one of his favorite performers on any Denver stage, is marvelous in the role as a country lawyer somehow finding the courage to do right in the face of hatred.

Moody said the play holds up a mirror to what we were as a country, and what, in many ways, we still are, and carries us through a childhood adventure that that is anything but childlike.

"The show could use some trims, but in the end it's like a long ride on a slow horse," Moody said. "It gets you there in the comfortable pacing of a different reality."

To kill a mockingbird runs on the Stage Theater of the Denver Performing Arts Complex from Sept. 30 through Oct. 30. For tickets call (303) 893-4100 or visit DenverCenter.org.

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