Of Mice And Men

By: John Steinbeck

Director: Martha Henry

Stratford Festival Of Canada

www.stratfordfestival.ca

Runs: June 5^th to September 22^nd 2007

Tom Patterson Theatre

4 Stars

Reviewed By: Kindah Mardam Bey

John Steinbeck must have been a fan of Robert Burns, for it was in his poem ‘To A Mouse’ that the phrase ‘the best laid schemes of mice and men’ was first penned, then became a lingual adage, then a book by Steinbeck. One reason Steinbeck’s novels stand the litmus test of time is because he primarily wrote what he knew, and what he observed in human nature. Steinbeck was an analyst of the soul, akin to Freud’s analysis of the psyche; so watching a production of a Steinbeck novel is like breathing deeply that analysis of human nature. The Stratford Festival of Canada proved themselves acutely accurate in casting Graham Greene as Lennie and an equivalent counterpart, the young but earthened Nicolas Van Burek as George.

Of Mice And Men is about two itinerant workers, George and Lennie who have recently started work at a ranch near Soledad (meaning ‘loneliness’ in Spanish). The two men have known each other from a young age; George Milton is a hardworking, caring, if not rough-around-the-edges type of guy. Lennie is a giant of a man, with a disproportionate mental capacity; he is what was known as ‘slow’ back in the day. Lennie is a gentle giant, but doesn’t know social behaviour or his own strength. After having to escape the last town because of Lennie’s well-meaning but dangerous antics, the two men have little to hold onto except their dream of one day owning their own farm and living off the ‘fat of the land.’ The ranch seems like a powder keg of danger for Lennie and George, but they find some kindred spirits and kind hearts along the way. The climactic conclusion to this novel, and play is shocking, saddening, traumatic, but most certainly not worth banning from the educational system, as it once was in 1989. Of Mice And Men is an ideal novel to be performed as Steinbeck’s original intent was to have his first novel be interchangeable between novel form and stage.

The Tom Patterson Theatre was lightly decorated, harmonizing a balance between Steinbeck’s connection with nature on one end of the stage as a wide open space with leaves, and a smartly simulated creek. On the back end of the stage stood the iron-framed bunks that represented the ranches workmen’s quarters, filled with steel grey colours and encapsulated like a submarine. An intelligent contrast on set designer John Pennoyer’s part; understated but thematically layered. The costumes were also on point, as they looked like they were from the 1930s in both dust infused fabric and tattered decay.

Of Mice and Men is a predominantly male cast, with one exception being Curly’s Wife, a newlywed with thoughts of un-sowed oats elsewhere; Jennifer Mawhinney brought little to the part except for the element of danger that both the male characters and the audience could sense. Her seductions seemed almost manic and agitative; making me wish Mawhinney might have seen Laura Dern in Rambling Rose and taken a few pointers beforehand. Besides the token female role, the all male cast were incredibly strong in performance. Veteran performer Jerry Franken as Candy, the sweet-natured but useless man that cleans the bunks after a tragic accident where he lost his hand, simply broke my heart. Franken brought so much empathy and hope in Candy that he was the character you felt you most wanted his dreams to become a reality. Brian Hamman as Curly, the powder-keg son of the owner, newlywed, and general ‘little man’ complex, was done with real force and renegade attitude by Hamman. Stephen Russell as Slim was a dynamic turn akin to John Wayne’s laid back appeal and cowboy with a heart conduct.

Of course, what would Of Mice And Men be without strong performances from the actors playing Lennie and George? Ok, so this is a rhetorical question, but this particular production of the play had so much to offer the audience in these two performances. After seeing Graham Greene in The Merchant of Venice and now seeing Greene in Of Mice And Men I would have to conclude that his performance of Lennie leaves his performance of Shylock in the dust. Pardon the pun. Greene was made famous by his role in Dances with Wolves and has a long-standing career to his most recent performance in Transamerica, but taking to the stage at Stratford is no easy task, even for a life long performer in front of the camera. Greene really got to stretch his acting abilities in the role of Lennie, a character that must not ever be performed mockingly, but the character must be treated with a true child’s logic. Greene seemed absorbed in the person of Lennie, to which the audience could feel Lennie’s magnanimous frame, even though Greene is not that much larger than some of the other actors on the stage. Greene was a superb fit for Lennie! He can leave Stratford feeling he conquered the stage.

Aside from Greene’s strong performance and the supporting casts dynamic performances, the real kudos lands firmly in the lap of Nicolas Van Burek. Playing a major role across from Greene can’t be an easy task for any performer, but Van Burek seemed effortless in his approach and appeal. Both Greene and Van Burek left egos and insecurities behind to play Lennie and George on an equal playing field. As the play went on, the more I saw a young Marlon Brando in Van Burek’s performance. The same submerging into the role and intensity to character was in Van Burek’s performance as was Brando's trademark. The same reckless abandon wrapped in well-thought out construction Brando was known for was seen in every line Van Burek uttered. Truly, a great performance on Van Burek’s part, and the first twenty minutes of the production, a dialogue between George and Lennie, is well worth the purchase of the tickets alone.

I was unimpressed with Martha Henry’s performance in A Delicate Balance as Agnes, but was more than impressed with her ability to direct Of Mice And Men. Henry managed her brood of males very well and received strong performances from each of them. The fight scene between Lennie and Curly was orchestrated and conveyed with great direction, as was the intimate conversation with Lennie and Curly’s wife.

If you are looking to see Graham Greene at the Stratford Festival this year, take a meander over to Of Mice And Men as it will be well worth your time and effort. Steinbeck would have been pleased with this rendition of his first novel.

Artistic credits
Director / MARTHA HENRY

Designer / JOHN PENNOYER
Lighting Designer / BONNIE BEECHER
Sound Designer / TODD CHARLTON
Fight Director / JAMES BINKLEY The cast
Crooks/ PHILIP AKIN
Whit / AIDAN deSALAIZ
Candy / JERRY FRANKEN
Lennie Small / GRAHAM GREENE
Curley / BRIAN HAMMAN
Carlson / ROBERT KING
Scratch / JOHN KOENSGEN
Curley’s Wife / JENNIFER MAWHINNEY
Woody / GORDON S. MILLER
Pete / BRENDAN ROWLAND
The Boss / BRAD RUDY
Slim / STEPHEN RUSSELL
George Milton / NICOLAS VAN BUREK Also Appearing:
ANDRÉ SILLS (Understudy), TOVA SMITH (Understudy), JEFFREY WETSCH (Understudy)

Assistant Director / BRIAN HAMMAN
Stage Manager / ANN STUART
Assistant Stage Managers / BONA DUNCAN, JOY PRIME
Apprentice Stage Manager / DAVID RUNDLE
Production Assistant / KATHERINE CHIN
Production Stage Manager / JULIE MILES