Skip to main content

Review of Of Mice And Men at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

Other than, randomly, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The War of the Worlds, John Steinbeck's classic Of Mice and Men is perhaps one of the most familiar of stories to me. I have seen it several times before, and while at school, we studied it, and dissected it like the work of Mr Shakespeare, but with Steinbeck, I got out the other side still liking it.

This brand new version from Selladoor Productions, which opened in Canterbury last week, brings a by-the-book presentation of the trials of George and his slow, but incredibly strong friend, Lennie, to the stage. Perhaps, this is its first issue blocking a huge success from this production, in that it rarely does anything brave or different.

It's clearly been expertly cast visually, with the hulking form of Matthew Wynn as Lennie, and the diminutive (in comparison) Richard Keightley and Kamran Darabi-Ford as George and Curley respectively. Darabi-Ford especially perfect in his tremendously awkward scenes with Lennie, some of the best of the show, with this little "squirt" desperate to get one over the giant, due to his constant unease of both where his wife is and his constant need to prove his masculinity. Curley is, and always
will be, an evil character in Of Mice and Men, however, Darabi-Ford actually managed to make me sorry for him a little for the very first time, portraying him more as the desperately sad character he perhaps truly is.

That little turn of the story was perhaps generally all this production offered to me. It is, as already mentioned, a very standard staging of the show, with visual flairs like the depiction of the workers behind the brush, one of those few truly tingling moments.

Performances are however fine across the board, with Wynn especially strong as Lennie, bringing both the brutal force of his character to bear and the immense childlike nature with those constant pangs of desire for his rabbits.

I really enjoyed Darren Bancroft in the smaller role of Carlson, from his lighthearted arrival, and onto his aggressive, but perhaps, in reality, loving offer, regarding Candy's dog. The realisation of the said dog on stage was really great entertainment as well, and well handled by Kevin Mathurin, who later returned to play a tremendously physical performance of the crippled Crooks, and filled with a deep emotion of character.

For those who haven't seen Of Mice and Men before, I advise skipping this paragraph. Rosemary Boyle as Curley's wife, provided all that she was able to in this very male-dominated story, and in that vital scene with her encounter with Lennie, I hugely enjoyed the stripping back of the entire set to let it play out on the full stage, however, Boyle is then desperately let down by a, totally dropping the ball, directorial decision of after she has been killed having her simply stand up in the centre of the stage and retrieve her case and walk off. It breaks the illusion incredibly, and could easily have been dealt with behind the set's brush that then swoops back on.

If it appears that I didn't appreciate this production, that is slightly untrue, I enjoyed much it had to offer at times beyond some great performances, I delighted in the push-out/in set changing scenes dramatically and smoothly, and I particularly liked the low-level impact of Benjamin Grant's sound design, coupled with some brilliantly low-key music from Mark Aspinall. There were a few curious moments of lighting issues, where they almost appeared to flicker due to people walking about left and right off stage? Also, whether intended or not, actors being seen behind the flats during the Curley's wife and Lennie scene, were an unnecessary distraction.

Accents were mostly on point and rarely a challenge to totally catch the dialogue, although I felt that
on occasion Andrew Boyer got a little too much into it, leaving some of the words drifting in the air between performer and audience.

So, this new production brings a solid production of the story to the stage with some excellent performances. It's a brilliant story that still got me as it culminated (although what possessed some of the audience to laugh at the final scene, I have no idea).

If you have seen Of Mice and Men on stage before, this version perhaps doesn't bring enough new ideas to warrant another viewing, however, if you have never seen this timeless classic before, I very much suggest you take this opportunity either here in Northampton or at any of the eight more stops this touring production visits.

A solid production of Steinbeck's classic tale.
⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Monday 5th February 2018 at the Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton.
Of Mice and Men runs at the Royal & Derngate until Saturday 10th February 2018 before touring. Details of the tour can be found at https://www.selladoor.com/productions/of-mice-and-men

For further details about the Royal & Derngate see their website at http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Photos: SRylander 

Popular posts from this blog

Review of War Horse at Milton Keynes Theatre

Michael Morpurgo's novel War Horse was published in 1982. While it was highly regarded and thought to be his best work, perhaps it eventually came to most people's attention when this striking play stormed the stage, thanks to the National Theatre, back in 2007. Now, War Horse arrives at Milton Keynes Theatre as part of another vast UK tour. Adapted by Nick Stafford in association with the award-winning Handspring Puppet Company, War Horse tells the story of the First World War through the eyes of one horse, Joey, sold for a record price from a family battle but eventually shipped off to war-torn France much to the distress of his original owner, 16-year old Albert. The sprawling and epic story should take some staging, but the vast cast, beautiful structure, stunning folk music and, of course, what this play has become known for, magnificent puppetry, all bring the story to life. This production, directed by Tom Morris and revival director Katie Henry, is a magnificent thin...

Review of Immune by R&D Youth Theatre at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

The cover note for the script of Oladipo Agboluaje's Immune describes it as "a challenging science fiction play with a large cast", and the word challenging in this case is not a lie. This is a fast paced, multi-cast changing script which leaves little room for error for its young cast in the performance. If the script isn't enough to handle for the young performers, director Christopher Elmer-Gorry and designer Carl Davies have made the situation even more complex for the actors with the set and stage work. Having to manhandle great panels on wheels and a huge cube, which also splits in two occasionally, during scene changes requires skill, coordination and cooperation of a high level. As if all this is not enough, the actual story is epic enough for the relatively small stage of the Royal. Attempting to form an apocalyptic world (albeit only happening in Plymouth) offers challenges in itself, but Agboluaje's script does that in a sort of apocalypse in the teac...

Review of The Rocky Horror Show at Milton Keynes Theatre

Richard O’Brien’s anarchic, surreal, and often incomprehensible musical, The Rocky Horror Show , has captivated audiences for over fifty years now. With this new tour, it feels as fresh and unpredictable as if it had just emerged from O’Brien's vivid imagination yesterday. While another review might seem unnecessary given the countless dressed-up fans who fill every theatre it visits, let’s go ahead and write one anyway. The Rocky Horror Show follows the adventures of Brad and Janet, a newly engaged couple. On a dark and stormy November evening, they run into car trouble and seek refuge at a mysterious castle reminiscent of Frankenstein’s. There, they encounter the eccentric handyman Riff-Raff, the outrageous scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter, and a host of other bizarre characters. What unfolds is a science fiction B-movie narrative that is at times coherent and at other times bewildering — yet somehow, that doesn’t seem to matter. I first saw The Rocky Horror Show in 2019 and exper...