IN 1988, THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH reported that Harper Lee’s 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” was required reading at three-quarters of American high schools. To this day it remains so at Benicia and other area public schools. The well-crafted story about a black man in Depression-era Alabama unjustly accused of a violent crime against a young white woman illustrates much about not only racial stereotypes but also how the legal systems of a society don’t always align with the moral principles upon which they were established.

Mark Manske and Etta Washburn give commanding performances as the determined, widowed attorney Atticus Finch and his precocious, tomboy daughter Jean Louise (“Scout”) in Contra Costa Civic Theatre’s excellent new production. Atticus knows his family will feel some fallout for his decision to defend the accused man, but he also feels honor-bound to carry out the task. He is certain the man is innocent, and believes everyone else in the town knows it as well. Scout and her brother Jem (Salvatore Harkins) are confused about the issue, and intensely curious to find out what really happened the day their neighbor’s 19-year-old daughter was brutally attacked in her home.

Tim Holt Jones and CC Sheldon are phenomenal in their challenging roles as Bob Ewell and his daughter Mayella. Mr. Ewell is illiterate and vindictive, a violent drunk, and Mayella can’t recall how much time she ever spent in school, since she has been left to care for her younger siblings for as long as she can remember. When her father comes home one afternoon to find Mayella with her arms around a black man (Khary L. Moye as Tom Robinson), he rages at his daughter as the young man flees the scene. Mayella is terrified of her father and will say anything to avoid further beatings.

The best way Mr. Ewell can see to save face in his community is to say that it was Tom who assaulted his daughter — and Mayella is not about to contradict him.

Some contrasting feelings and opinions about the resulting court case are expressed through conversations between young Scout and some of her adult neighbors. Mrs. Atkinson, warmly played by Loretta Janca, is gentle, hopeful and reassuring, while most others are either baffled or outraged that the man they thought of as a friend is defending someone they view as worthless, making trouble for Mr. Ewell and his daughter in the process.

The play, written in 1990 by Christopher Sergel, is an adaptation of the 1960 novel. The action is narrated by the “Scout” of the future (Molly Daniels as Jean Louise Finch), a young woman finally ready to take her father’s advice and make a genuine effort to see the events of her childhood from his perspective. The technique is effective, allowing narrative commentary without interrupting the flow of the story. Dressed in a simple but elegant shift, Jean Louise is a calming presence, taking enough edge off the heated emotions of the action to allow the audience to step back and do as she is doing — trying to see things from each party’s point of view.

The Contra Costa production is enhanced by the quality costuming of Lisa Danz and detailed sets of Kuo-Hao Lo. The visual details make it easy to enter into the scene of a depressed, rural Alabama neighborhood of 1936.

David Bogdonoff directs a winning cast in this thoughtful production. There are two weekends left to see the show, ending Dec. 14. It’s a special opportunity to see some quality theater in our extended Bay Area neighborhood. I recommend it.

If You Go
“To Kill a Mockingbird” continues at the Contra Costa Civic Theatre, 951 Pomona Ave. (at Moeser Lane), El Cerrito, through Dec. 14. Tickets are $11 to $28, including advance purchase and youth discounts, and are available by calling 510-524-9012 or online at ccct.org.

Elizabeth Warnimont is a freelance writer specializing in the performing arts. She is also a substitute teacher for the Benicia Unified School District.