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Steinbeck tale is powerful as ever
Of Mice and Men
Shaw Theatrre
JOHN Steinbeck’s sad and funny classic tale of George and Lennie has been continually affecting for decades those who encounter it. And a faithful hand and a sometimes too creative mind show that it still has the power to tug at the heartstrings and twang the funny bone.
This is down to many factors. One being the excellent casting of the simple but incredibly powerful Lennie. The enormous Ian Gofton takes the role and makes it his own, playing not only the childlike gentleness of the character to perfection but also never letting the audience forget that this is a man who can break bones as easily as straw. David Horton does well as George but comes across as a little too bitter and is overshadowed, sometimes literally, by Gofton.
What also helps bring the play to life is the staging which is at times just clever enough and others a little too inventive for its own good. For instance the set, which consists of three bunk beds and some straw and leaves, is on stage for the entire play but is effectively rearranged to represent a woodland, a dorm room, a barn and a stream.
This ingenuity keeps focus on where it should be, on Lennie and George. But in other instances this ingenuity is misjudged and distracting. The two main culprits being the pet dog which is so clearly fake as to be laughable and the sound effects in one scene being provided by actors not in the scene but still on stage.
Despite sounding authentic enough it is impossible to get around the fact that it is nothing more than two guys in full view making noises. Also slow motion is not something theatre does well no matter how dim you make the lights.
The accents of the actors also jar. Most of them sound American enough and all play their roles well but very few of them sound like they are from the same bit of America and more than a couple of the actors are guilty of regularly slipping back to English.
Overall the play is very good. A little slow in pace but well acted and well produced and something that fans of Steinbeck will have few complaints about, even if it is a little to clever for its own good.
0870 033 2600
Until October 21
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