Theatre Review - Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men

written by John Steinbeck

directed by Adrian Hall

When: Sunday, March 8, 2009, 2pm

Where: Thompson Theatre at the Roselle Center for the Performing Arts (University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware)

Type: Play, Drama, Professional Theatre

It's kind of cool that the University of Delaware is now home to a professional troupe of actors.  In addition to their graduate-level theatre program, the school is now also showcasing the Resident Ensemble Players (REP) -- nine actors and actresses who have graduated from the University's Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) and have decided to come back to their "roots" and perform for the public while teaching the current crop of students.  This is the first season for the REP and they are off to a rousing start.

Having just read Of Mice and Men a few short weeks ago as part of my Book-a-Week Quest, when I saw that there was a production of this on the REP's schedule, I immediately jumped at the chance to see it.  I wasn't expecting a whole lot, to be completely honest...I mean, sure they're professional actors, but this is at a college...they couldn't have a budget, could they?

As soon as I entered the theatre, I knew I was wrong.  First off, the theatre itself is quite nice.  Ample leg room, relatively comfortable seats...this place even had a balcony.  I wasn't really expecting that, but I can't imagine that any of the 450 seats would really give a bad view.  Onto the production itself, as soon as you walked in, you could see bits and pieces of the set and knew that they definitely are spending money on scenic design of these productions.  The set was definitely on par (if not more intricate) than what I had seen in the Broadway production of Avenue Q.  There was absolutely a true sense of being in a barn in 1930s California.

Director Adrian Hall starts the play with a projection of newsreel footage of FDR speaking to the country about the Depression and telling us that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.  Apparently, the director was trying to align the tale with our country's current financial troubles...although, if I'm being completely honest, the only reason I know that is because I read it in the program.  Still, it definitely puts you into the mindset that this play is taking place in an incredibly difficult time in American history.

I'm not going to discuss plot (you can look at my previous book "review" for that), so I'll just jump to the actors themselves.  Really, they were all top notch, with the exception of a few in small bits who threw in some awkward pauses here and there.  The caring relationship between Mark Corkins' dim-witted Lennie and Michael Gotch's protective George is established right away and only makes the ending that much more difficult to bear.  Both are quite good, but Corkins truly shines.  Playing a mentally challenged, slow-witted adult is bound to be difficult, and while he played it for laughs at times (which is definitely how the script plays it, too), there was a huge emotional connection there with his character.  John Plumpis' old-man Curley is spot-on, too (and looking at his picture in the program, I can't believe how young he is in real-life).  Also excellent was Carine Montbertrand's portrayal of Curley's wife.  That's a role that could so very easily be taken over-the-top -- for, you see, she's essentially a tramp who longs to sleep with guys other than her husband -- but Montbertrand is able to tone it down and make it incredibly relatable.  Her scene at the end of the play with Lennie was probably my favorite in the play.

The production has two more performances -- next Saturday and Sunday, March 14-15.  If you're able, I'd strongly recommend going.  All tickets are under $20 (I believe it's the same price regardless of where you sit) and this is real theatre, people.  Real theatre in a little state like Delaware.  Whodathunkit?