Of Mice and Men – Octagon Theatre

At one point over 90% of teenagers taking GCSE English Literature in UK schools studied ‘Of Mice and Men’ and many of the greying press night audience I spoke to had affection for the novel from their distant school days. However, Steinbeck’s moral fable of friendship and companionship has fallen out of favour in academia in recent years due to the overtly racist language, casual misogyny and portrayal of disability, so it was an interesting exercise to see how this stage production would translate to a more critical 21st-century environment.

Increasingly in post-Covid regional theatre, we are seeing a movement towards co-productions as a way of mitigating risk and sharing costs, this production combines the resources of Octagon Bolton, Hull Truck, Theatre by the Lake and Derby Theatre to mount a short Spring tour at these theatres. Whilst acknowledging this cooperation is necessary, it has to be noted that the results tend towards the conservative both in the choice of material and in the staging when eventually mounted. Once again at this theatre, Director Sarah Brigham presents us with a bare thrust stage with minimal props upon which the ‘two hours traffic’ is played out. Whilst this makes this production easier to fit into the different touring theatrical spaces, it adds little of artistic value or interest as a one off this is acceptable but it has become the norm rather than the exception. Only the Lighting and Sound Design of Simeon Miller and Ivan Stott bring any sense of the wide open range in which the story has its setting.

George (Liam King) and Lennie (Wiliam Young) are the two central pillars around which the tragic tale unfolds and my chief interest in any interpretation is centred around the motives that George has in looking after his friend as they scrape a living in the depressed dust bowl of 1930’s America. This production provides little to answer the question, of whether it was obligation, love or a desire for human contact that George feels. In a similar vein, the casual racism meted out to Crooks (Jeff Alexander, the ableism towards blind Candy (Benjamin Wilson) and the misogyny displayed to Curley’s wife (Emma Charlton) were mouthed by the cast without any conviction, rendering them dull and lifeless. There was a curious lack of uniformity in the whole performance, each actor seemingly independent of the others’ style in their lack of reactivity and unevenness of tone, less the fault of the individuals than a lack of vision as to what the production was trying to say.

Only Young stood out, Lennie requires pathos in spades and the decision to cast an actor with learning disabilities in this role was an inspired one. His lived experience allowed a dash of realism to suffuse his performance and gave the concluding scene real emotional heft that was absent elsewhere.

As the title suggests ‘Of Mice and Men’ is a study of how the plans and dreams of individuals suffer and fall when faced with the harsh reality of life, Lenny and George plan a farm where they can ‘live off the fat of the land’; Candy and Crooks want to live out their days in security and Curley’s wife wants to escape the harshness of her battered existence by fulfilling the Hollywood dream. None of these plans come to fruition and all are left bereft. It is a tale that has resonance for a young, modern audience but unfortunately, this production was a missed opportunity to explore those themes in a way that would connect to their experiences.

Reviewer: Paul Wilcox

Reviewed: 27th March 2025

North West End UK Rating: