Of Mice And Men – Drawing Room at Assembly Rooms

If like myself you were forced to read the book: Of Mice And Men in school you will already know what tragedy awaits you, but if you are new to the story beware. John Steinbeck’s famous novella takes to the stage this fringe as a 2-man, 1 act play and truly succeeds in capturing the essence of its lead characters Lennie and George.

From the get-go we know exactly who these two characters are: George is the man in charge, aggressive and fed up with his life and Lennie is the simpler of the two, a very tall man whose strength is not in his mentally but his unintentional brute. Actors Nigel Miles-Thomas and Michael Roy Andrew successfully bring the opening chapter of the book to life, capturing the harsh yet somewhat loving relationship between these two men. Out of all of the given play the first scene is the most on point to the tale. Being conscious of time the show runs through the rest of the book pretty quickly, giving us the needed information to still take in Steinbeck’s carefully placed foreshadowing and learn all we need to know of the basics of each character.

We get, for the most part, the full story however I do wonder if the show is easy enough to follow for those without a preexisting knowledge of the book. Major events such as the introduction of Curley’s wife (at first demonstrated by a red light, assumed to symbolize her signature red dress and the danger her presence proposes), the punch up between Curley and Lennie and Curley’s wife’s death are done with minimal physicality and sound and so are easy to misinterpret. In a bid to condense the story into one hour we also lose some of the bond between Lennie and George and so our finale isn’t quite as heart wrenching as it should be.

This all being said this is still a very strong piece of theatre and the condensing of the source material into a single 1-hour performance is commendable. What really stands out for the show is it’s cast. Michael Roy Andrew wonderfully captures George’s roughness and scrappy personality, we feel his resentment of the obligation he feels to Lennie, but we also see his softness.

Nigel Miles-Thomas is fantastic and carefully curated in the role of Lennie. Just as in the book, he manages to capture Lennie’s naivety and innocence. Even as the brute commits many a horrible misgiving, we are unable to feel any animosity towards him. Lennie is a very difficult role to perform tastefully as the character suffers from some form of mental disability, that of which many actors have taken too far, but Miles-Thomas remains respectful and mindful in his performance.

Together the two work tremendously well and make for believable comrades.

The show could benefit well from some more advanced tech, especially on the sound front as more sound was heard from the surrounding shows that proved distracting, but it is a successful and interesting watch. I would recommend for those who are already a fan of the novel to go and see this play, however if you are new to the story, it may be worth a little pre-show research.

Of Mice And Men is on at The Assembly Rooms Drawing room every day of the festival (excluding 18th,25th and 31st) at 13:55. Purchase tickets at https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/of-mice-and-men

Reviewer: Beth Eltringham

Reviewed: 26th August 2026

North West End UK / Theatre Muse UK Rating: 4