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OF MICE AND MEN Send This Review to a Friend
In the revival of John Steinbeck’s classic “Of Mice and Men,” Chris O’Dowd is giving the finest performance as the mentally backward Lennie that I can remember from versions that I have seen on screen and stage. He succeeds in making the character likable but dangerous, a person one can pity and appreciate for his decent intentions, but always very real as a basically good-natured oaf who knows he can do bad things but doesn’t know his menacing strength. It is an award-caliber achievement that dominates this production.
As directed by Anna D. Shapiro, the play reprises Steinbeck’s portrait of roving farmhands during the 1930s Great Depression, with George (James Franco) looking after Lennie. There is the yearning for a better life inherent in the drama, reflected in lines expressed by George, and in a strong scene with Ron Cephas Jones as Crooks, who is confined to a room of his own in the segregation that prevailed at the time, even in a ranch in California. Jones does an excellent job outlining the lot of Crooks in life.
But there is definitely a problem in the performance by Franco as George. There is no warmth in his interpretation. He comes across as mostly grouchy in his relationship with Lennie, even though he is protective, and one doesn’t get the impression of emotional longing when he speaks of his dreams for a better life without the pressures. In contrast, there is real feeling when farmhand Jim Norton as Candy talks about his hopes. Given George’s lines, there has to be something of the dreamer in him that is lacking.
Another weak spot is Leighton Meester’s portrayal of the wife of the nasty Curley. She is very wispy in the part, which requires her to express her desire to break away and show her vulnerability when she is alone in the barn with Lennie. Her lines are even hard to hear at some points, and the character doesn’t resonate, especially since she is supposed to be sexually provocative.
But the overall atmosphere is convincingly created, helped by the appropriate farm and vista set design by Todd Rosenthal, and it is good to experience the play anew, as it continues to stand as a major drama of its time. There is enough substance that enables us to see what Steinbeck was aiming for in his renowned work. At the Longacre Theatre, 220 West 48th Street. Phone: 212-239-6200. Reviewed April 19, 2014.
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