Of Mice and Men

OF MICE AND MEN IS A MUST-SEE DRAMA WITH A SUBLIME CAST BRINGING ENERGY AND EMOTION TO THE STAGE

Having been one of the millions that studied the novel of this play at school, I knew the story of Of Mice and Men. I was excited to see how the action would play out, with it being set on a vast ranch, and was looking forward to seeing the iconic George and Lennie live, rather than just what I had imagined when reading it.

Steinbeck’s tale begins with George (Liam King; Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth) and Lennie (Wiliam Young; Of Mice and Men, Enter the Robots), who are travelling to a new ranch, after they encounter trouble at their previou one. They camp overnight, by the river, where George tells Lennie (who is learning disabled but called stupid, because of the time it is set in) he must return, if he gets into any more trouble, and he will meet him there. They dream aloud about how the farm they are going to own, one day, where George promises that Lennie can have rabbits, if he doesn’t cause any more trouble. He even says they can get him a puppy, to stop him from petting and accidentally killing mice. When they arrive at the ranch, they meet Candy (Benjamin Wilson; Macbeth, Oliver Twist), a blind man, and his dog, before meeting The Boss’ (John Elkington; Holes, One Man, Two Guvnors) son, Curley (Stefan Race; Let The Right One In, Cherry Jezebel), who George immediately takes a dislike to, due to his angry and defensive demeanour. He warns Lennie to stay away from him, as Curley likes to fight men that are bigger and stronger than he is and Lennie is incredibly strong.

Whilst they settle into the bunkhouse, Curley’s wife (Emma Charlton; Beauty and the Beast) appears, supposedly looking for Curley, but Candy warns George and Lennie that she is known for ‘trying it on’ with the men on the ranch. Slim (Laurence Pears; Magic Goes Wrong, The Mousetrap), one of the other workers, has a dog that has puppies, so George arranges for Lennie to have one, whilst ranch worker Carlson (Tom Fletcher; Oliver Twist, Drac & Jill) wants Candy to get rid of his old, smelly dog, and also take one of the pups. Carlson, after bullying Candy into submission, kills the dog, whilst the workers, including Whit (who at this evening's performance was covered by John Elkington but is usually played by Afton Moran; Ghost Off!, Ness), wait to hear the gunshot. George and Lennie are then left alone and begin discussing their plan for land of their own, only to be overheard by Candy, who offers his life savings to get them their dream, if he can join them too. Curley then enters, looking for his wife, and finds Slim missing too, and assumes the worst, despite Slim being in the barn looking after his mule. After not getting his fight from Slim, Curley turns on Lennie, who accidentally breaks his hand. Embarrassed, Curley agrees to say he trapped it in some machinery.

A few days later, when the others have gone into town, Lennie goes to visit the puppies in the barn and decides to visit Crooks (Jeff Alexander; Cymbeline, The Duchess of Malfi), who is not allowed to stay in the bunkhouse with the others due to his skin colour, and accidentally tells him the plans for the farm, which he was supposed to keep secret. Candy, looking for Lennie, joins the pair, before George, who comes back from town early, then joins them after hearing them talking. Curley’s wife then shows up, demanding to speak to Crooks about Curley’s injury. She tries to interrogate the men that are there about it and deduces that it was Lennie that he’d had a fight with. However, they are found by The Boss and all chastised. The next day, Lennie has been to see his pup and has accidentally killed it, by being too rough with it. He is hiding away in the barn when Curley’s wife comes in to hide a suitcase, as she is determined to run away. They get talking and she discovers the dead puppy. Lennie tells her he likes the feel of soft things so she offers up her hair. Not knowing his own strength, Lennie doesn’t let go and she begins to scream. He tries to stop her from doing so and snaps her neck, killing her. He runs away, to the safe point by the river, and Candy finds her dead body and raises the alarm. George finds Lennie first, as all the men go after him, and shoots Lennie in the head, to save him from having to go through being lynched and hurt by Curley.

This production was simply wonderful. I absolutely love the fact that they use actors with the disabilities they are portraying, as it really gives the play that extra level of believability that really just makes the piece so amazing. I also love that Wiliam Young and Luke Richards share the role of Lennie, in order to help them with access issues that being in a play brings. Another thing that I loved was the way that a projection of grass was used every time George and Lennie would speak about their dreams, until the last time, just before George shoots Lennie, when they are surrounded by marshes. It really helps to weave their dream throughout the piece and reminds the audience, in that last moment, that their dream is dying with Lennie.

Liam King as George showed such a depth of character and his love for Lennie so beautifully. That fateful moment, at the end, was a tough watch, because it was done so well. Wiliam Young as Lennie was everything I wanted Lennie to be. He was exactly as I imagined Lennie to be, when I read it for school, and really made the character come to life before my eyes. John Elkington as The Boss was brilliant and menacing and also covered the role of the Whit for the show I saw. Despite covering an extra role, with a script in his hand, his professionalism shone through as you barely noticed him reading from the script. It was wonderful. Benjamin Wilson as Candy was simply just fantastic. His accent was en pointe and he quickly became one of my favourites. I smiled every time he was on stage. He aced tragedy and comedy alike. Jeff Alexander as Crooks was fantastic. His physical gait showed the pain the character was going through, just to earn a wage, and the humour, at the beginning of act two, had all of the audience laughing. Emma Charlton was everything I imagined Curley’s wife to be. The fact that she just wants a friend and how she is discriminated against, just for being the only woman on the ranch, was played incredibly well. And she showed that Curley’s wife is more than just the harlot that everyone remembers her as.

Tom Fletcher portrayed Carlson as the all-American farmhand with ease. From his demeanour, to his facial expressions, he made you feel like you were a fly on the wall of the bunkhouse, as he complained and showed off his gun. Laurence Pears as Slim was another of my favourite characters. He portrayed the ranch worker with an air of acceptance and care that was rare among the men and that I loved. I also loved the way he swaggered about the stage, like Slim knew he was good at his job and a good person. Stefan Race was not how I had imagined Curley, when I read the novel, but I am glad he wasn’t. He brought an energy to the character that was utterly menacing, which I loved, and really escalated the heightened moments in such an amazing way. I was thoroughly surprised by his portrayal but loved every second of it.

This show is for everyone. I loved seeing something that I haven’t thought about since my GCSEs in any great detail and found myself with a new appreciation for the story. The whole cast were simply sublime, especially seeing as they all had to adapt to a cast illness and cast reshuffle. I urge you to go and see Of Mice and Men before it leaves Octagon Theatre Bolton on Saturday 12th April. You, like me, could find a whole new love for this tale that you haven’t felt before.

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