Selladoor Productions present a thrilling new production of the most iconic and powerful story in American literature when Of Mice and Men comes to the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells later this month.
Richard Keightley (The Mousetrap) stars as George alongside Matthew Wynn (Hamlet, Measure for Measure) as Lennie, they will be joined on stage by Andrew Boyer (Candy), Cameron Robertson (Slim), Darren Bancroft (Carlson), Kevin Mathurin (Crooks), Harry Egan (Whit), Kamran Darabi Ford (Curley) ,Rosemary Boyle (Curley’s Wife), and Robert Ashe (The Boss).
Written by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck and based on his own experiences in the twenties, Of Mice and Men tells the story of George and Lennie, two migrant ranch workers who dream of owning their own ranch. With nothing but the clothes on their back and a dream, the wily and bright George aspires to independence, to be his own boss and most importantly to be ‘somebody’. Gentle Giant Lennie aspires to be with George and join him in his Eden, but as the saying goes – the best laid schemes of mice and men, often go awry.
Set in the trying times of the Great Depression, when millions were forced to travel in search of a job and their dreams, Of Mice and Men is a powerful portrait of the American spirit and a heart-breaking testament to the bonds of friendship and what it means to be human.
Last week, I managed to have a chat with Richard Keightley, who plays George and I asked him how the preparations for the tour had gone…
The play opened in Canterbury near to the end of January, but rehearsals started a week before Christmas with myself and Matthew Wynn, who plays Lennie, Guy Unsworth, the director, and a couple of other cast members – just to do some groundwork. Then we started rehearsals in earnest just after the new year for three weeks before we opened.
Although it’s not a two-hander, it’s very much the story of two people isn’t it?
Yes, it focusses, primarily, on the journey of the two lead characters and how they experience the world and their lives on the ranch. You learn about their hopes and dreams, but all of the other characters in the piece are vital as they all have a part to play in this very well written piece by Steinbeck. They are all fully fleshed out characters.
When you are performing a piece that is so famous, is there a lot of pressure on you to “get it right”?
I’m not sure about that to be honest. Steinbeck wrote it as a play in novel form. He always found reading plays a bit boring so he would write in the form of a novel which is why the book and the play are full of similarities. There are a couple of slight changes but the similarities are almost universal throughout. So I don’t necessarily feel pressure, as I think we have a very good take on the piece. I am very proud of the show that we have and, if there is any pressure, it’s just to deliver what we came up with in the rehearsal room and to try and get across, what we consider to be, the most important parts.
Obviously, every single production will be different, every single person who takes on the role of George or Lennie, or any of the characters, will stress different attributes of their character so the real pressure is to deliver the version that we are doing as well as we did in rehearsals.
It this just a very dramatic piece or are there lighter moments?
It is dramatic but, having said that, audiences do laugh at parts of the show as well. I think that’s the key, showing the joy in Lennie and George’s relationship and the excitement that Lennie has in looking at the world, and in the dream that they are chasing. There are also some laughs simply in terms of the writing. Steinbeck is an amazing writer and there is humour in the piece, even though it does have a very sad outcome.
Yes, the second half is very emotional. How do you detatch from that, or do you detach from it?
The end of the piece, as you say, is a real emotional climax – I often describe it as an emotional ski jump because, at the end of the play the character launches himself into this uncertain world. In the first half of the play the character of George really does drive a lot of the action and, as long as I invest all I can into the relationship with Lennie in the fIrst half, then, actually, the emotional bit stems from that.
Sometimes, after the curtain calls, it sticks with me a little bit, yes. It can take me ten minutes, but sometimes it can take me an hour, to get the character out of me so, in that sense. I can’t completely detach from it because I have literally lived it for the last two hours so I can’t just switch it off but sometimes it stays with you longer than others.
Is it exhausting?
It is fairly, yes. The first half is quite physically exhausting because of the need to drive the narrative, particularly in the bigger theatres where, vocally, there is a lot of energy required. Then, in the second half, the vocal side of it diminishes, and I have a couple of periods off stage, but the emotional side of it is much more draining so it changes either side of the interval for me.
How do you prepare to take on a role like George or Lennie?
What really helped was working with our choreographer Sinead O’Keeffe on the physical relationship between George and Lennie. We did some really useful work in the rehearsal rooms, as a company. Guy Unsworth was very keen to show the world outside the bunkhouse and outside the barn, the world which the ranch hands spend 11 hours of their day in, hauling barley bags round and that sort of thing. So we show that a little bit and, in order to help us get into that, and it is physically extremely exhausing to do that much work, we did lots of work in terms of really feeling rooted in the earth and in the ground and that has proved invaluable.
How are your audiences reacting?
It’s been wonderful. We have had some lovely comments and great responses. We talked about the pressure to deliver the story earlier, because it is a story that a lot of people love. Some come to see the show with expectations, and some people don’t but, what has been really gratifying is that whether people know the story or not, it seems to go down equally well.
Considered a challenging and controversial play this brand-new adaptation brings to the stage a magical and imaginative story about trying to hold on to your dreams and friendships during fiercely tough times and a faceless destiny. A tale still relevant to modern times.
Discover Of Mice and Men when it appears at the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells from Monday 26th to Saturday 31st March with evening performances at 7.30pm and Wednesday and Saturday Matinees at 2.30pm. Tickets are available online at www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk or through the box office on 01892 530613.