Of Mice and Men
Presented by Mockingbird Theatre
Through Feb. 16 at War Memorial Auditorium
Call 242-6704 for ticket info
After an informal hiatus from the Nashville theater scene, Mockingbird Theatre returns in a big way with its new production, Of Mice and Men, which opened last weekend at War Memorial Auditorium. An excellent cast, under the admirable direction of René Copeland, offers a superb rendition of John Steinbeck’s adaptation of his classic novel set in Depression-era California.
Steinbeck’s original book remains a revered piece of American literature, and the familiar story has been made famous through various screen versions, most recently starring John Malkovich and Gary Sinise. It’s wonderful to report, though, that the stage treatment manages to maintain the tale’s raw power as well as its most indelible characterizations.
Chief among the latter are the down-and-out itinerant heroes, Lennie and George. As many did in the 1930s, these two victims of the suffering U.S. economy travel from farm to ranch looking for work. There is one distinct difference, however: Lennie is addlepated and has a penchant for stumbling into trouble wherever he goes. Thus he and George—who functions as Lennie’s caretaker, friend and father figure—keep moving on, searching for a work situation where everything will go smoothly.
The play takes place all in the course of a weekend, as Lennie and George arrive at a farm in Northern California near the Salinas River. At first, the new surroundings look promising. Alas, Lennie’s pathetic, childlike mentality, stuck inside a powerful physical frame, once again proves his undoing, this time with horrifying results: He unwittingly murders the tartish wife of the boss’ son.
What is on the surface a fairly simple, slice-of-life story is enriched by Steinbeck’s portrayal of men torn between dreaming and desperation. An old-timer named Candy, hardly able to push a broom, joins George and Lennie in their daily reverie, which concerns finding a place of their own, where they can “live off the fat of the land.” It is not to be, however, and the script, while devoid of the more overt sociopolitical messages of Steinbeck’s novel, functions quite movingly as a vehicle for realistic character studies layered with pathos.
It doesn’t hurt that director Copeland’s cast is one of the finest that could be assembled in Nashville. David Alford is George, and Jeremy Childs is Lennie. Their interplay is potent, by turns gently affecting, poignantly humorous and gut-wrenchingly sad. Childs has perhaps the toughest assignment, since his role is the most familiar to wide audiences and is distinguished by one of literature’s most recognizable catchphrases: “Tell me about the rabbits, George.” He approaches it with sincerity and freshness.
Alford and Childs receive solid support as well. Among the notable other performances are those of Matthew Carlton, Rocky Resha, Jon Royal and Christopher Strand. Jenny Littleton is the lone female, and she is effective indeed in portraying the femme fatale, who is as lost and forlorn as the laborers she treats as inferiors yet strives to tempt.
In a way, though, this show belongs to Joe Keenan, who is simply marvelous as the aging Candy. His character is wholly Steinbeckian, and in his fading, heartfelt desires, he seems to represent the battered but not quite broken human spirit of the Great Depression—ever hopeful, ever striving and ever willing to believe that there are better times to come.
Copeland’s staging is consistent and controlled, and while it’s a talky show, one hardly notices because the pacing is rock solid. Copeland also designed the functional set, which features use of a fairly large and interesting thrust stage. Karen Creel’s lighting is efficient, and the appropriate incidental, Woody Guthrie-inspired music is by Paul Carrol Binkley. Not to be outdone by all these human contributors is the dog Athena, who comports herself splendidly in a cameo appearance.
Of Mice and Men is top-flight theater that represents Nashville at its artistic best.
Royal intrigue
Another ambitious local production opened last weekend at the Darkhorse Theater. ACT I’s Richard III proves to be just a bit too much for the company to pull off completely, yet there are some fascinating interpretive wrinkles on hand and some good performances as well.
Taking a cue from a well-known version of the play produced in the early ’90s by England’s Royal National Theatre (later made into a film), director Hank Hildebrand sets the play in the 1930s. The music of Rodgers and Hart, men’s fedoras, ladies’ tailored suits with seamed hosiery, mink stoles, military uniforms that evoke a sensation of Germany’s Third Reich—these become the incidentals of one of the most brutal and malicious plays in the Shakespearean canon. It’s a far cry from the 15th century, to be sure, but the updating is effective, adding a noirish atmosphere suitable to the title character’s dark personality and dastardly machinations.
Richard, Duke of Gloucester, seeks the British throne. Yet everyone’s in his way: his older brothers (including the current king, Edward IV), his sister-in-law Queen Elizabeth, his nephews, and various noblemen and noblewomen. Forming an uneasy alliance with his cousin Buckingham, Richard sets out to manipulate all parties involved, then resorts to murder many times over. As the curtain rings down, the Hitlerian Richard has received his comeuppance, but not before the face of the monarchy has been changed forever.
Richard, not unlike Iago, is one of the Bard’s most fascinating characters. His treachery knows no bounds—yet he is also brilliant, strong-willed, determined, cagey, persuasive and almost deliciously diabolical. And so, while we little admire him, we are compelled to watch him weave his tangled web. Marc Mazzone is up to the task too. Proving that he is a gifted actor unafraid to tackle classic drama, Mazzone displays the virtues of precise diction, passionate delivery and vocal versatility.
Tour de force though Mazzone’s Richard may be, he needs more help than the cast of 20 is able to give him. Consequently, about halfway through Act 2, the production loses steam, and the lesser performances seem to account for it. All the other male actors could be better, though Jack E. Chambers acquits himself consistently as Buckingham. The women, who play major roles throughout, are generally pretty good—which is to say they at least have a relatively firm grasp on how to declaim Shakespeare with some meaning. Among these are Caroline Davis, Wesley Paine, T. Altricia Pruitt and Julie Stemmler. Neely O’Brien, an attractive actress with presence, turns in a flawed yet interesting performance as Queen Elizabeth.
Richard III runs for nearly three hours. It’s often engaging and filled with intrigue, yet even its strongest link—Mazzone—can’t hold it all together by himself, though it might be said he dies trying.
The play runs through Feb. 16 at Darkhorse Theater. Call 726-2281 for ticket info.
