Richard Thomas and Jacqueline Williams Get Ready to Take TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD on the Road

Welcome to Backstage with Richard Ridge

Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin's brilliant adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece to Kill a Mockingbird, which is directed by Bartlett's share, is not only returning to Broadway, but is getting ready to kick off a national tour this March, featuring a glorious cast led by my two guests

Please say hello to Richard Thomas and Jacqueline Williams. Hey. Hey, hello

First off, how are the two of you and where are the two of you

Jacqueline, I'll start with you. Doing just great. I'm excited to get this going currently in New York

Yeah. Beautiful. Richard, where are you and how are you, my friend? I am just as Jacqueline says, doing well in New York, ready to shuffle off to Buffalo

That's your first stop, right? Yep. Okay, so we have to, first of all, before we get into the show

have you two been able to put the last two years or so into any kind of perspective

It's a really big question. Jacqueline, I'll start with you. Well, I don't know how, well, I've been able to put it in perspective, you know

because it's just been a busy two years of trying to, survive and stay as healthy, you know, as possible and stay as prayerful and as positive as possible

So, you know, to have us finally all be able, one, to still be here and come together, you know, has been really a great blessing and quite joyful

you know, and we're taking all the measures to, you know, stay healthy and continue forward so that we can, you know

share this beautiful and needed story. Richard, for you. Well, I can't, I haven't been able to put any of it into perspective at all

because I got to get out of it before I can take that kind of look at it

And I don't know if we're ever going to get out of it. whatever it is. I just, you know, I mean, we are being careful. I've been waiting for, and we all have

for a long time for this, for this ship to leave harbor. And then, you know, every now and then

you call your agent and you say, yes, is it still happening? Is it still happening? Is it still

happening? And with every twist in the, in the tail, you know, of the pandemic and all that

It's been like, well, maybe not, maybe, but they've always been right

Yes, we're doing it. It's going to go. And we're, so we've kept the faith

And I've been so excited about this for so long, but I'm exhausted

Yeah. I'm so ready. Today was the last day in the rehearsal room

And it really was like a bunch of kids on the last day of school just ready to blow the classroom and get, get the show on the road

I get it in front of some people. Because the fact that was telling me before we went, before we started this interview

you were supposed to do this, like, go into rehearsal in the summer of 2020, right

Right, exactly. Wow, it was a long journey, but it gave you a lot of time to learn your lines, right

Yeah, too much time. Okay, well, you're about to hit the road and bring this masterpiece across the country

How excited are the two of you? Either of you can start this

I mean, what an exciting journey you're about to be on. Oh, yeah

Yeah. I don't know if any of us can, you know, really, really imagine

But it's terribly exciting, you know. Personally, you know, the book and the film have been, you know

two of my personal favorites for most of my life, you know

So it is really special to me. you know, on a whole other level, you know, beyond, you know, artistically, you know

So I'm terribly excited to share this with many, many others around the country, you know, just like me, you know, either, you know, one of their favorite books or one of their favorite films

but also to experience the evening of events of events that we will be coming with, you know, because it's so much more than the book, you know, or the film

And I'm terribly excited to share that and have people come experience it

in the theater as, you know, we will be bringing, you know, without, you know, giving, you know, gyms away or anything

You know, they just have to come and experience. And I'm very excited about it

And it is such a joy. Richard, we love fested on you a little bit before you got on screen already

but just to continue. It is such a joy to play opposite Richard Thomas

I can't even, I can't even, I don't even have words for it yet

but one could not wish for a better partner to be on stage with

a better human person to work with. with every day. So I'm looking forward to all of that. And we've got such a dynamite cast of

storytellers. It's really going to be special. Well, okay, Jacqueline. I'm blushing. I am

I have to tell you that the fact of, I mean, you expect actress to say this for each other

but it's really true. I'm from the very first moment of rehearsal, I knew that Calpurnia and

to Atticus, we're going to have a very profound relationship and that there is an aspirational

quality to their relationship for the country at large that I really were going to be able to

embody because you're just fabulous to be with as well. And I, you know, there's, I'm just

you're an amazing scene partner and I'm just going to be so great in this part. We have a

wonderful company, and thank you. We have a wonderful company. It's a very deep bench

the company's very connected already in the room. We can feel the group energy and how we want to tell this story

And I think a couple of things you know as you said Jacqueline it something to share with people It very important story It our story You know it our story We going to share our story with people

And we're with people, a lot of whom know it already and think they know it, but maybe they'll think more deeply about it or differently about it

But also, if ever a play was a play to be taken around the country, this is a play. If ever

If I was ever excited, and I love the road, you know, as if I was, I've never been more excited about a particular piece of material coming from region to region, audience to audience

I want to hear that reaction in different places to this material

See how it's the same. See how it's different. And also, because it's so popular, it's done so well in New York, record breaking run, people are very excited about it

Anytime that a play, and I love musicals, but any time that a play can go out on the road

and be successful, it gives another play a chance to get out on the road

because we use play plays on the road all the time. And they're very rare now

And if this tour can strike a blow for more plays on the road

and that's kind of inside baseball thing. But I really, I think it's a great thing

But man, what a show to take to the country. Oh, yeah. Yeah

Because I was asking you, you know, Jacqueline, you was saying that, you know, the book and the film

were you introduced to Harper Lee's book first or the film? I mean, all of us have like reading the book in school or seeing that incredible film

I mean, what was each of your introduction to Kill a Mockingbird? I read the book first

I discovered the book first. And I can't remember. I can't remember how

the time between, you know, when I read the book and when I saw the film, I can't remember

Yeah. Yeah. Richard, for you. I read it in school and was touched by it

And it was, you know, it meant a lot to me. I was moved by it

I was, you know, enraged by it, all those things that one feels when you read it

I saw the movie later, love the movie, love the actresses and loved Mary Batam

But I read the book again. I haven't seen the film for many, many years, and I haven't looked at it since I started to prepare this

Not really on purpose. It just hasn't happened yet, and I probably will take a look at it at some point, you know

But I reread the book to prepare, and it was a whole other experience reading it as a, I won't

the tour, I'll say older person. The depth of it, the being older, what it has to say about childhood

and about how children learn about what the world really is and how innocence falls away, you know

and reality comes forward, and how young people have to come to terms with the distance

between what they idealize and what the reality of life is, I was so the second time

So anybody who hasn't read that book since they were in school, read it again

because it might hit you a different way. Oh, yeah. Well, now I want to talk about living in the words of Aaron Sorkin and living in that world

What is that like? This is such a masterpiece. I mean, Jacqueline, when you first got the play, like when you read the new words and everything

else, like what's it like living in the world of Aaron Sorkin in this play

Very, very present, very honest. And, you know, he's so in tune and he writes so well, you know, it wasn't at all the situation of stumbling or, you know, trying to, you know, get the rhythm of what's being said or the moment or anything

He writes so well that really all of that just falls right on end, you know

And so, you know, that's a whole other joy, a level of joy, you know, to, you know, be working with that, you know, that kind of gift, that kind of artistry

Yeah, it's beautiful, beautiful. Yeah, I, Jacqueline, I really, I agree with

you about, I found, I don't know about you, but I found, and you know, he writes a lot of words

Mr. Sorkin. You know, he, you know, he's not a minimalist and more power to that. But I found it

an easy text to learn precisely. Yes. Because the rhythms, the cadence, it was almost like

learning verse, the ear for the flow of the language, especially the southern idiom that he writes in for the play

is so, it just went in like milk, you know, and I found it remarkably easy to learn

It's a big part, you know, and everybody has a lot to do in the show

But you know you're in the hands of somebody who is really a language writer when the language goes in to the act

because we know as actors when the language sticks right in here somewhere

or it doesn't quite, we can't get our head around it. But his, the language is so beautiful

beautiful and so beautifully musical and done that it just went in beautifully

Hopefully it'll come out beautifully. Because every actor who I've asked who has done Aaron Sorkin's text, they say it's pure gold

Everything about it, there's a musicality about it. There's like you said, the cadence, the rhythm

It's just for somehow it may seem like a lot of words, which it is, but it all makes total sense

the way you can say it and the way you can learn it. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, he has a gift of with his pen

looking into, you know, the natural human conditions, human relationships and flow

You know, he just, he just has it. And we're grateful. Yeah, I think another thing, just to add

to finish my point about him is that he's really mad. Each one of these characters is fully realized

The smallest role, you know, there's every actor, every actor has a full human character to grab a hold of

He's sort of taken himself out of the equation thematically in terms of

I mean, not in terms of how it's written, but each character has a distinctive voice

and is fully realized for the actor to grab onto, which is so helpful

for everyone. Yes. Yeah. Then of course there your brilliant director a Bartlett Cher I mean he one of the most sought after directors What is it like being in the room with him and having conversations about these roles and working through the rehearsal process

You first. A great ease, you know? A great ease

He just, I don't know, some people just have that. magic of

setting up a room that is safe to play, safe to discuss

safe to work, and you know, without feeling stifled or, you know

inhibited or something. You know, he, yeah, it's kind of magic. Yeah, it's a very safe room

which you know, is really so important. With anything, you know, you want to feel safe because then you feel free

and relax. You feel safe. You feel relaxed. You feel relaxed. You feel free. Right. So you can

so imagination can be manifested. But also, there's a sense of lightness too, which I think is wonderful

There's a lot of humor, a lot of laughter. Yeah. And when you're doing a play, which is a serious play

about serious stuff and which has tragic aspects to it. The lightness in the room is really, really, really important

Because the audience has to have a full experience of life in the play

not just the darkness, but the lightness and the love and the humor

And you have to sometimes wear the heaviness lightly. And I think that Bart really is good at that

Also, he was really clear about... Yes. About what he wants and what he feels about the beats and the play

You don't have to guess. You know, he's very clear, very specific, and that's also so helpful

You know, I mean, he's a terrific craftsman. And sometimes as an actor, you just want to be told

You know, I mean, I do. I just sometimes just want to be told. Yeah

You know, Richard, you've taken on so many mammoth roles that you've done here in New York

and, of course, on the road. How mammoth is Atticus? How challenging will he be

Because I know you're just finishing your fourth week of rehearsal. You said you finished yesterday

You're getting ready to hit the road. Like how you stay healthy for this role

I mean, how challenging will he be to play and how mammoth is it

Well, staying healthy period is going to be so important on this trip for all of us

You know, I just have to find out where the rests are in that, you know, I always work too hard at first

And then, you know, eventually I think it's true for all of us. You know, we find out where we can rest

rest within the play so that everything isn't equally driven. And so you don't get as tired

And, you know, I have to figure out what it's like on two show days. It's a big part, you know, it's a big part

But that's what we do. You know, it's big, but it's well-paced, you know

It has a beautiful arc. And the most important thing is going to be just to do it and walk on stage and just have

the experience and see where that goes. I don't mean to sound like I'm under, under expressing

because it is a complicated role. It's a big part. It's a lot to learn. It's a lot to do

But something in the writing, it flows like a river. And the writing flows like a river

And the arc of the play flows like a river. And if I can just get my boat in the river and go with it

then it's not going to seem like such an Everest every time I, you know

step out there. Yeah. beautifully put. What was that final run-through like? I mean, I'm sure yesterday you ran the show

right? Yeah, we've had, actually, for a show of this size, I mean, Jaguarine, I'll tell you

we've had, what, four run-thrus of this playoff, three or four? Something like that

The rehearsal room is really amazing. And our stumble-throughs were actually closer to run-throughs

So, you've got to play this long with this many scenes, it goes back and forth in time a little bit

and shuffles around. It takes a long time to kind of get, no, where do I go

Where do I go off? Where do I come on? What scene is next? Oh, wait a minute. I got another scene to play before I play that scene

You have to do it and do it before you can shrink the size of the play so that you can act

sit in your head. Yeah, exactly. Every time you run it, it gets a little smaller and a little bit more

You get your head around a little bit more. But we've been lucky. We've been really lucky. We've had a lot of run-throughs

Oh, I love that. Now, you're talking about your amazing cast. Mary Batam, who played Scout in the film, has joined your company

I know. I know. Wild, huh? That must be extra special to have her just like, what kind of conversation did you all have during rehearsals or during breaks or whatever

I mean, when I heard that she was joining your company, I was like, this is so incredible to have her there with the history she has

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So what I wanted to ask you about this is this play, Jacqueline and I were talking about before we started too

I reread the play. This book or this play literally could have been written yesterday afternoon

And that's such a sad thing that this play takes place in the 30s

And the social injustice that takes place in this play is going across the United States as we speak

I would love for you both just to talk. about that, the relevance of the play and what that all means to you as you're getting ready to take this into some red states, some blue states, and just all across the country

Anybody can take this to start? Yeah, we, you know, we still need it. We're still needed. You know, we're still fighting the same fights. You know, we have only made very, very tiny baby steps. And

to have a piece like this to take around and, you know, not just as entertainment, you know

for some people, you know, theater can also be a healing, you know, theater is also a catalyst

a catalyst for more change, more discussion, you know, as we take this around

People will be coming into the theater from whatever walks of life they come from, bringing that with them, you know, to have everyone in that auditorium room experience this play, this event together

Hopefully will bring about more baby steps so that we have, you know

maybe some road lights of progression, you know. Yeah, there, yeah

Yes it our story As I said it our story you know And you know it the story of everybody to aspire and constantly realize that there more to do in our lives as individuals not just in terms of large themes just how we try to live our lives

It's always that, well, I thought I had it together, but you know what

I don't have it together. Now there's this I have to do. do and there's this I have to learn

And it sounds exhausting, but it's just life. You know, we look, and the play I think beautifully juxtaposes our

the reality of how unjust and unfair and in need of correction

life can be with our aspiration about who we actually strive to be and can be

you know. I mean, you know, Atticus has this great aspiration that the world should be a certain way

It's very difficult for him to learn that it's just not. And yet the aspiration is important

Otherwise, we would never want to move forward. And this is true in our daily lives, as well as, you know, as well with the largest social issues

This is our story, this story. And, you know, as a child of youth of the 60s, it was like, well, you know, we handled some of this

we deal with some of this way. No. As my 25 son, your old son will always remind me. No, no

you didn't do it. You didn't do it. We still got to do it. It's not done, dad. It's not done

Not done, dad. And that's what Atticus's son came trying to tell. You worked on it

You worked on it. You know, you did, you put, you put a few, you colored in between the lines in a few

places, but you have not done, you have not finished this job. And that's frustrating. Some people don't

want to hear that, you know? And the play precisely because it takes place in the past

reminds us of where we are now, you know, of how progress

has been made and what progress has not been made. And this is our story. This is

America's story. And then people can choose to turn away from it, but it's not going

to go away. Yeah. That's why I love that this is going

across the country. I mean, if it's ever a play to help

for people to think, to have conversations, and to also enjoy at the same time

there's no better play to go across the country than this right now

It's a play of, in some level, in some ways to me, it's a play about community

because Attica starts with this idea of our friends and neighbors and our community

and their good people. And it understands that community has many different meanings

And it's about forming a new kind of community, among the people who want to

who aspire to make the world better. And I'm hoping that when people

large numbers of people in some of these theaters, come together, that each individual person will have a wonderful theater experience

but that there will be a sense of the communal experience of this play

that we all share in this, that this is a story, this is our story for all of us in some way

And I really hope that that communal feeling, is present in the house

I'm pretty sure it will be. It was when I saw the show in New York. Yeah

I was going to ask you, I know you just came out of rehearsals. What do you love the most about these roles that you're playing

I mean, Calpurnia is such a beautiful role. Jacqueline, what do you love about her so far

I love the way she loves, the way she cares. I love and respect her honesty

And the goodness of her person and the relationships that she has not only with the family

but, you know, the community we're talking about community. Yeah. And Richard, for you with Atticus, I mean, he's such a wonderfully complex role

What do you love the most about him at this moment? Well, you know, I love his, this is going to sound weird

I love his sense of humor. I love how he tries to raise his children

And I love that he's trying to figure out how to be a stern father and a compassionate one at the same time

His righteousness, which is always potentially a problem, is leavened, I think, by the fact that he, that it's, it's, it's, it's his essential love of people

and his basic humility in the face of things that keeps his righteousness from being

overbearing or even intolerable, you know, I, I think that he has, he's got a lot of humility as a person

and is willing to listen to everybody who talks to him. And the ability to listen right now is really important

And his ability to hear other people and to try to give them the benefit of the doubt

I think it's a pretty terrific quality. So I'm liking that very much

And I like the jokes. Yeah. Yeah. I know. I has a great since the beginning

I love the relationship that you're two characters. have together. I mean, I loved all of that when I saw it in New York, and I kind of wait to experience

the two of you on the road, too, because, like you said, you have so much respect for each other

in love, but just that relationship that your two characters have in this show, so beautiful

it's so wonderful. It must be great to play. It is. It is. It's a lot of fun. It really is

It's great to play, and I have to say, I don't know, I think, Jacqueline would agree with me. It was

kind of there from the first day for us, I think. I think so too. Yeah. First day

And, you know, the text really helps. It really, how the lines are interwoven between characters, how they speak to and with each other

It helps facilitate that connection. But we have a really good connection. And

in many ways that, as Bart likes to say, it is the relationship that is at the center of the play

because in that relationship is the hope for the future in many things

Well, like I said, I could talk to you too forever. I know you're getting ready to hit the road

I appreciate this. I want to tell our audience once again, Richard Thomas and Jacqueline Williams are part of the stellar cast

that will take Aaron Sorkin's brilliant adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece

to kill a mockingbird, which is under the direction of Bartlett Sherry

across the country beginning this march to find a city near you

just go to to Kill a Mockingbird, Broadway.com, and press on the U.S. tour tab to find a city near you

Richard and Jacqueline, thank you so much for dropping by to chat with me today at Broadway World

Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Take care