Mendham Township students see To Kill A Mockingbird on Broadway

On Saturday February 9th, 27 MTMS 8th graders traveled to New York City to see the production of To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway. Reading to Kill a Mockingbird is a highlight of the 8th grade Language Arts curriculum, with students participating in many interesting extension activities related to the book, including analysis of the film adaptation, researching the book’s censorship history and the enactment of the popular Mock Trial. This year students were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to also see the stage adaptation of the novel.

After reading about the upcoming play, Mrs. Smith was able to secure tickets for a Saturday February 9, 2019 performance and an optional field trip was offered to all 8th grade students and interested staff. Spaces on the trip, which included transportation and lunch, were limited and filled quickly.

The group of students, chaperoned by Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Cyr and Mrs. Vazquez and joined by Mrs. CasaGrande and Mrs. Brychta met at the middle school and traveled by school bus to Manhattan and lunch at Carmine’s in Time Square. Seated at 2 long tables, the group was served a family style Italian feast, including penne vodka, chicken parmigiana, spaghetti and meatballs and cannolis for desert. The food was delicious and plentiful and the group soon realized there was far more food than they could eat. The waiter offered take away trays to pack the extra food and it was agreed that the food should not go to waste. After a quick phone call to confirm, the group decided to pack up the extra food and deliver it after the trip to the Market Street Mission in Morristown. The extra food was packed up and several students braved the cold to carry the food to the waiting bus.

After lunch, the group bundled up and walked across the street to where a sold out crowd waited to enter the Shubert Theatre. A few friendly faces were met inside the theatre, as Mrs. Esposito, Mrs. Hueston and Mrs. Varjian joined in for the performance. The play, starring Jeff Daniels and adapted by Aaron Sorkin was enjoyed by all who attended, students and teachers alike. The set design, staging, costume and music all added to the purposeful atmosphere that evoked Lee’s Maycomb, Alabama. Most of the students in attendance agreed that the play stayed true to the novel’s plot, with a few exceptions. At first some students weren’t sure how they felt about the story being presented through the narration and flashbacks of a grown up Scout and Jem Finch, but in the end agreed it was an interesting and successful way to tell the story. When asked about what they liked most about the experience many students mentioned liking the character Dill and the surprising amount of humor in the play. Almost all of the students also commented on how they appreciated the portrayal of Atticus and how Mr. Daniels gave the character more depth and showed he was more than “just this really great guy.”