OF MICE AND MEN touring

OF MICE AND MEN: John Steinbeck

Birmingham Repertory Theatre

Runs: 2hrs 30m: One interval
Box office 0121 236 4455 runs until Saturday 26th April 2003

Ranjit Khutan: 22nd April 2003

A strong script – laughter and anxiety in equal measures: two marvellous central performances
Simon Higlett's designs create a perfect setting for Steinbeck's story: emotionally he is at one with the drama. A few stacks of straw, marshland and brush, replaced later on by draughty wooden structures. Colours are muted - the dusky air and bleached wood and straw create a sepia screen where even the muddy blue of the characters' jeans blend in leading the mind easily into a vision of the past. It’s the 1930s where the personal tragedies of the characters are shown against the social and economic background of the American Depression.

George and Lennie are our central characters who immediately grasp our attention in their journey looking for work. Matthew Kelly's Lennie is bold and his presence on stage is enlarged not merely by his physical stature but through his projection of Lennie's character – the huge confidence of the naïve or innocent. Kelly's take on Lennie is likeable and grounded on respect for the character's intellectual developmental difficulties. We laugh not at him, but at what he says, the quirky comments and his fixation of the American dream - buying a smallholding and living "off the fat of the lan'".

It might be easy to get lost against this impressive performance but not George Costigan – George. His fast and clear delivery of lines and emotion ensure he is an equal partner.

Jonathan Church is a skilled director, he creates a balance where the two can take equal share of our attention.

It's a strong script – it promotes laughter from the outset (during the 'ketchup' conversation between George and Lennie) and intense anxiety in equal measures. Nowhere is this clearer than in the brilliantly executed scene in which Candy's dog is taken outside to be shot. The men sit quietly: even though they have contributed to the decision they are now unsure, their anxiety and ours reflected in the rising sound of the four ticking clocks which seem to grow in size. Whit (Tom Silburn) jumps to his feet and says what we all think - "what the hell's taking so long" - when the gun blast punctures the ticking the silence that follows is only interrupted by the sound of us exhaling with relief.

Crooks (Tyrone Huggins) could easily have remained in our memories as the elderly black male talking about his disempowerment or as the stereotypical comedian. But it is Tyrone's acting skills that shine through – his Crooks is real, warm and three-dimensional.

Joanne Moseley punctuates the play with colour not only literally in the clothes she wears as Curley's wife but also in the way she constructs the frustrated wife. Her femininity has effect, but it is always subtle.

This is Steinbeck's centenary year and this production is a fitting tribute.

George: George Costigan
Lennie: Mathew Kelly
Candy: David Sterne
The Boss: Nick Stringer
Curley: John Flitcroft
Curley's Wife: Joanne Moseley
Slim: Julian Protheroe
Carlson: Neil Phillips
Whit: Tom Silburn
Crooks: Tyrone Huggins
Ranch hands: Andy Chaplin & Philip Bulcock

Director: Jonathan Church
Designer: Simon Higlett
Lighting Designer: Tim Mitchell
Composer: John Tams

2003-04-23 19:53:10