To Kill A Mockingbird Statue In Monroeville — A statue dedicated to Harper Lee in Monroeville—the author’s hometown. (Matthew Niblett/Bham Now)

In the 1962 film rendition of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Mary Badham stole America’s hearts as Scout, daughter of Atticus Finch. Now, she’s taking the role of Mrs. DuBose in the touring Broadway adaptation written by Aaron Sorkin. Keep reading for all the details.

An iconic story

Monroeville, Hometown Of To Kill A Mockingbird Author Harper Lee — The mural behind the plaque illustrates a scene from *To Kill a Mockingbird*. (Matthew Niblett/Bham Now)

If you’re unaware of the plotline of the 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, allow me to give you a brief overview.

The story is narrated by Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, daughter of Atticus Finch, an esteemed lawyer in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. Set during the Great Depression in the mid-1930s, Scout lives with her father, her older brother Jem and their housekeeper, Calpurnia.

Throughout the novel, Scout, Jem and their friend Dill attempt to get their mysterious and reclusive neighbor, Boo Radly, to leave his house. Additionally, Atticus is asked to defend Tom Robinson, who was wrongly accused of raping a white woman. Atticus takes the case even though he has a very low chance of success, due to the racist and prejudiced members of the community.

The title, To Kill a Mockingbird, references the idea of innocence destroyed by evil—fitting for this story.

As she narrates the story, Scout learns valuable lessons about acceptance, empathy, understanding and justice. The novel is widely regarded as one of the most impactful stories in American literature.

From Scout to Mrs.DuBose

Badham is taking quite the turn in her role as Mrs.DuBose, the Finch’s mean-spirited neighbor with a morphine addiction.

This is her first stage role and one of the very few acting roles she’s taken since her portrayal of Scout.

She certainly picked an anticipated production to join, as Aaron Sorkin’s To Kill a Mockingbird has won a Tony Award and widespread acclaim. The box office hit is currently on a nationwide tour, starring Jeff Daniels as Atticus and Celia Keenan-Bolger as Scout. Celia went on to win the 2019 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a play.

Catch the play for yourself

Admittedly, you’ll have to take a little bit of a road trip to see Mary Badham perform live, but the highly-acclaimed play is well worth the travel time.

The closest showings of To Kill a Mockingbird will be in our neighboring state Tennessee this summer.