'Mice' is always compelling
By Kathleen Allen
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Please don't call John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" an important piece of literature.
Yes, yes, we know: The story of itinerant farmworkers, the mentally challenged Lennie and his protector, George, is a classic. That's why Beowulf Alley Theatre is staging the play as its season closer.
But it's not ponderous, or dull. And that's what Beowulf's artistic director, Stephen Elton, is afraid people will think when it's called "important."
"When you hear a play is important, I think it's boring," said Elton, who plays Lennie, the big, lumbering, simple-minded half of the famous Lennie and George team.
Instead, Elton said, it's a play that you almost have to watch it's so compelling.
"I compare it to when you're flipping channels on a Saturday afternoon and you come across a movie you've seen before. You know the story, but still you have to watch it. 'Mice and Men' is that kind of play — you have to pay attention to it, even if you know it."
George and Lennie have a tight bond and a common dream: They want to save enough money to have their own little farm.
"It's the struggle of the everyday guys, Lennie and George, as they try to get the American dream," Elton said as he explained the pull of the play.
"The dream of freeing yourself of the bonds of employment and working for yourself. They just want to do their own thing."
Terry Erbe, who plays George, said that the weaving in of the dream ethic is what makes the story, published in 1937, so timeless.
"I think clutching at the American dream is still very much part of our lives," he said after a school day at Catalina Foothills High School, where he teaches drama.
"It's about wanting a little place, and making a better life. I think that's universal. And Steinbeck does it in a way that goes back to the storytelling roots that we have. There's something eloquent about the pictures he paints."
George is a character Erbe embraces, even as he struggles to learn a massive amount of dialogue.
"George has got a big heart," said Erbe. "I don't think he would take on the care and feeding of Lennie if he didn't. At the same time, it's frustrating for George because Lennie will never grow up. I think George is a man at odds with his surroundings."
As for Lennie, Elton was determined to play him as an innocent, rather than a man with mental retardation.
"He's an innocent, but his bubble is very small," said Elton. "He relies on George to tell him what to do. In life, when you run across somebody like Lennie, it may take you five or 10 minutes to know that something's wrong. I wanted to play Lennie like that."
Both men have a profound respect for the friendship of the characters, and for their dreams.
"What I take from the play, and what I hope the audience will take, is how the themes are so current — loneliness, wanting a friend and wanting the American dream," said Elton. "I think we can all relate to what George and Lennie are going through."
Preview
"Of Mice and Men."
• By: John Steinbeck.
• Director: Glen Coffman.
• Presented by: Beowulf Alley Theatre.
• When: Preview is 7:30 tonight; opening is 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Regular performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 1:30 p.m. Sundays through May 27.
• Where: Beowulf Alley Theatre, 11 S. Sixth Ave.
• Tickets: Thursdays, $10; other performances, $18 (discounts if purchased at www.beowulfalley.org). The 1:30 p.m. Sunday performance is $65, which includes a barbecue, music, hobnobbing with the cast and crew, and the play.
• Information: 882-0555.
• Cast: Terry Erbe, Stephen Elton, David Alexander Johnston, Amy Erbe, Greg Sweet, Tim McKiernan, Brian Wees, Jonathan Hicks, Nate Weisband.
• Running time: About 21/2 hours, with one intermission.
• Look for: The review in next Friday's Accent.
"Of Mice and Men."
• By: John Steinbeck.
• Director: Glen Coffman.
• Presented by: Beowulf Alley Theatre.
• When: Preview is 7:30 tonight; opening is 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Regular performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 1:30 p.m. Sundays through May 27.
• Where: Beowulf Alley Theatre, 11 S. Sixth Ave.
• Tickets: Thursdays, $10; other performances, $18 (discounts if purchased at www.beowulfalley.org). The 1:30 p.m. Sunday performance is $65, which includes a barbecue, music, hobnobbing with the cast and crew, and the play.
• Information: 882-0555.
• Cast: Terry Erbe, Stephen Elton, David Alexander Johnston, Amy Erbe, Greg Sweet, Tim McKiernan, Brian Wees, Jonathan Hicks, Nate Weisband.
• Running time: About 21/2 hours, with one intermission.
• Look for: The review in next Friday's Accent.
● Contact reporter Kathleen Allen at kallen@azstarnet.com or 573-4128.
