[NEohioPAL] Preview of GLTG's "Of Mice and Men"

[Bob Abelman]

GLTG presents the classic Of Mice and Men beginning tonight

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This preview appeared in the News-Herald 10/23/09

 

"Well," says The Boss in Of Mice and Men, as he sizes up the two migrant workers who happen to be among literature's most intriguing and poignant duos. "I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy. I just like to know what your interest is." 

 

In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, the one guy is the small but smart George.  The other guy is the physically imposing but intellectually slow Lennie, who is incapable of comprehending the problems his size, strength and innocence create in their wake.  George is Lennie's only friend and sole protector.  

 

The play, like the classic novella on which it is based, tells a very big story about humanity's search for a sense of place and belonging in a cold, cruel world.  It shows just how unobtainable both are for men like George and Lennie, particularly during the nightmare of the Great Depression in the 1930s.

 

"Still, it is the much smaller story within Of Mice and Men that I'm intrigued by," says David Malinowski, director of the Geauga Lyric Theater Guild production that opens this evening.  "The tale of one man taking interest in another man, simply because it is the right and decent thing to do, lies at the very heart of what this play is all about."  

 

Malinowski need look no further than his own cast for insight into the true meaning of this classic play.  The character of Lennie is being portrayed by Wayne Howell, of Austinburg, who is an English teacher at Lakeside High School.  Candy, an aging ranch handyman, is being played by retired high school teacher Joe Petrolia, of Madison.  Marvin Mallory, who takes on the role of Crooks, a stable-hand, was a teacher for nearly two decades in Painesville and Cleveland.

 

Lennie's better half is being played by Tim Coles, of Euclid, who performed in last year's Barefoot in the Park along with Malinowski and has directed previous GLTG productions, including The Scarlett Pimpernel and Little Shop of Horrors. 

 

"This play is very much a buddy story" suggests Malinowski, "but it is set within the context of a Grimm fairytale.  There is the promise of success on the California ranch where the action takes place, but there is struggle and the looming potential for failure around every turn.  We see how tough times can bring out the best in people, and the worst."  

 

The title of this play, and its lessons, were inspired by a poem by Scotsman Robert Burns, which states that "the best laid schemes o' mice an' men, gang aft agley."

 

As any high school teacher can tell you, gang aft agley means often go awry.

 

"Of Mice and Men is as relevant today as it was when published over 70 years ago," adds Malinowski. "So are its lessons."  

 

Details

 

What:      Of Mice and Men.

When:     Today through November 8 (8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays).  

Where:    Geauga Theater, 106 Water Street, Chardon.

Tickets:   $13 to $15.

Info:         440-286-2255 or www.geugatheater.org.

 
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