To Kill a Mockingbird (Barbican)

Robert Sean Leonard has returned in triumph to the role of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, which originated at the Open Air Theatre two years ago (winning a WhatsOnStage Award) and now comes to the Barbican following an extensive tour.

Leonard, with his crumpled linen suit and briefcase, has something of the Willy Loman look about him, and his Atticus seems to visibly age over the course of the play's two-and-a-half hour running time as the realities of racial prejudice in 1930s Alabama take their toll.

Timothy Sheader's Brechtian production sees the cast narrate the action (in English accents) direct from copies of the book, a nod perhaps to the all-conquering ubiquity of Harper Lee's text. In this it reminded me somewhat of Gatz, the eight-hour epic that included every word of another classic of American literature.

The chalk lines drawn on the stage to mark out the locations of the story produce mixed results – what starts out as a useful aide memoir gradually becomes incomprehensibe.

Leonard is joined in the principal cast by three rotating teams as the Finch children (superb on press night), and the highly affecting Zackary Momoh as the wrongfully accused Tom Robinson.

There's also nice support from Ryan Pope as the rancid hick Bob Ewell, whose abuse of his own daughter kickstarts the tragedy, and Susan Lawson-Reynolds as the Finch's ever-loyal cook.

As an introduction to Lee's seminal work, Sheader's production (which uses Christopher Sergel's adaptation) is hard to top, while for more seasoned fans it still has plenty to offer. It's reverent but never staid, clear but never over-simplified. If you missed it first time round, don't forego the opportunity now.

To Kill a Mockingbird is at the Barbican until 25 July 2015