Interview: Steven Lee Johnson Says TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD at Wharton Center is a Unique Opportunity to Experience an American Classic on Stage

From October 3rd to 8th only, you can catch playwright Aaron Sorkin's acclaimed new production of To Kill a Mockingbird at Wharton Center in East Lansing. After opening on Broadway in 2018, the production was nominated for a slew of awards and broke box office records. Furthermore, Sorkin's iteration of the classic American novel was the last one ever sanctioned by Harper Lee, the original novelist. 

BroadwayWorld Michigan had the pleasure of speaking with Steven Lee Johnson, who plays Dill Harris in the national tour of To Kill a Mockingbird. Read our conversation below!

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BWW Michigan: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your theatre career?

Steven Lee Johnson: I was born and raised in the Midwest between Illinois and Michigan. I went to the University of Minnesota for undergrad, and then I started working professionally in Chicago. I went to grad school, and then I moved to New York and started working there. 

I saw in your bio that you worked with the Broadway company of To Kill a Mockingbird. Did you play the same role there?

It was my Broadway debut and I understudied Jem and Dill and a bunch of other parts. I understudied 11 roles, I think, and I ended up going on for 7 or 8 of them. 

How would you encapsulate To Kill a Mockingbird’s story for those who might not be familiar?

I would say it’s a story of growing up, loss of innocence, and all within the context of the justice system of 1930s' America through the lens of race at the time. 

What is your character’s role in the story?

He’s an out-of-towner who comes in and befriends Atticus’s two kids, Jem and Scout. He’s been hugely expanded in the play. In the book, it’s a pretty small role, and lucky for me Aaron Sorkin really expanded his backstory and his presence in the show. In the play, as opposed to the book, he acts as sort of an adult narrator looking back, and I also sort of jump in and play him at [age] 11 as well. 

On that note, how does the format of a stage play affect the experience of this story compared to reading the book? 

Being a play alters it completely in every way. The book is pretty linear, and the original adaptation of the book to be a play (that was used for years before this version was around) was also pretty linear. This [version] jumps back and forth in a really fun way – so we’re in the courtroom, and then we’re back in time, and we’re in flashbacks, and we’re in narration – this play uses a lot of theatrical devices that just don’t exist on film or in a book. It is specifically designed by Aaron Sorkin to be a play and take advantage of all the theatricality that a play has to offer as opposed to any other medium. 

What can audiences expect when they come to see To Kill a Mockingbird at Wharton Center?

I think they’re going to laugh more than they think they’re going to. For people who know the book really well, they’re going to remember some of their favorite moments from the book, but also explore ways in which the play is very different. I think it’s really fun in that way because you’re re-experiencing this thing that you love but you’re also being surprised along the way. And I also think they’re going to be really moved because, as funny as moments are, as sweet as moments are, it’s a very serious subject matter and it’s handled, I think, with a lot of grace and gravity from Aaron’s writing and Bartlett Sher's staging. 

What is something about this play that a general audience member might not know?

One thing that they might not know is that there was one stage adaptation of this play for decades and decades and decades and Harper Lee, before she died, gave permission for Aaron to write this version. So it was completely sanctioned by Harper and it’s the first new play adaptation that’s been allowed and will be allowed for many years to come.

Do you see this version of To Kill a Mockingbird being a long-lasting piece of American theatre?

It already is. It’s one of the longest running plays on Broadway in history, and it’s one of the most successful national tours in history. The show has already broken records in terms of audience reach and how it’s sold. I think it’s going to endure for many, many years to come. 

What do you feel is the primary takeaway of this play? What will audiences come out of the theatre thinking about?

I think they’re going to think about the world that we live in and the things we want to change and what we can do to change them.

How would you persuade someone who is unfamiliar with To Kill a Mockingbird to come see the show at Wharton Center?

It’s an opportunity to experience an American classic that is such a classic and so enduring for a reason, and you can experience it with a lot of humor and true entertainment along the way. For all the gravity of this show, and for all of the deep connection to the literature, it is extremely entertaining. It’s drama and it’s humor. 

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Tickets for To Kill a Mockingbird are on sale now at Wharton Center's official ticketing outlets: online at whartoncenter.com, at the official Wharton Center Ticket
Office or by calling 1-800-WHARTON.

To keep updated with To Kill a Mockingbird as they travel around the country on their national tour, visit their website at tokillamockingbirdbroadway.com, and follow them on Twitter at @mockingbirdbway, on Instagram at @mockingbirdbway and on Facebook at facebook.com/tokillamockingbirdbway.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

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