by John Steinbeck
A perk of getting older is the chance to return to plays I’ve experienced earlier in life like Of Mice and Men. Having learned the play as a designer, the chance to return to it with an actor as passionate and well-suited as Bostin Christopher was special. At the time, there were a lot of strong male actors in the company. While Bostin as Lennie was a reason to do the play, being able to surround him with such good actors, all but one of them (Charles Branklyn- Crooks, who came from California) also leaders in the Alaska theater, was special. I’m particularly grateful to Charles, Brandon Demery (Slim) and Kevin T. Bennett (George) for taking on these key larger roles with the skill, talent, and care they each did. Charles, in particular, was able to make his scene with Lennie a hinge moment of the play. After their scene, with his fatalistic hoping against hope and laugh ringing in our ears, events sped up as Lennie’s flawed innocence gets away from George.
Returning to characters in classic plays can reveal who we were, and in the process, help see who we are becoming. For the historian in me, its like we can make historical figures breathe and speak. Of Mice and Men’s male friendships contrasted with the fear of being alone are interesting themes to me.
Of Mice and Men is atmospheric: Dusty, happening at times between hard work and slumber, with a heat in each scene creating tension. Matthew Allar and Dans Maree Sheehan took on designing the sets and lights, made it their own and helped me find ways to make the place and time alive and present. Valerie Snyder’s clothes and Erik Chadwell’s old time music filled sound design kept us in mind of Dorothea Lange’s Okies and their music. The truth brought to the time, place and people, both by designers and particularly by Bostin, gave us an authenticity and heart that won over audiences.
Note: This you can watch the whole five minutes from Lennie’s entrance, or start the video and fast forward to the 3:30 mark for a two minute clip of the meat of the scene.
This clip begins with Slim’s exit and concludes with the gunshot. If you want a two minute excerpt, fast forward to the 2:45 mark when Lennie asks George to tell him again about the kind of guys he and George are.
“Christopher’s portrayal of Lennie is flawless. He physically and vocally presents this trusting, odd, not-very-smart man. His eyes can’t focus, his mouth sags open, his speech is uneven. Lennie is there, every second of the show.
But the elements of this production — lights, sound, costumes, the set, quality acting, and an amazing performance by Bostin Christopher as Lennie — let us see and feel Steinbeck’s story more deeply than a movie or book… “ Barbra Jo Maier, Juneau Empire (Full Review)
“…a love letter to the author.” — Mike Dunham, Anchroage Daily News review, October, 2012, Click here for the full review
Set designed by Matt Allar — Lighting Designed by Dans Maree Sheehan — Costumes Designed by Valerie Snyder — Sound Designed by Erik Chadwell
Stage Managed by Rick Silaj with Assistant Stage Manager Olivia Tymon
Kevin T Bennet as George
Bostin Christopher as Lennie
Richard Reichman as candy
Jerry Demmert as The Boss
Roblin Gray Davis as Curly
Alicia Hughes-Skandjis as Curly’s Wife
Brandon Demery as Slim
Corin Hughes-Skandjis as Carlson
Bryan Crowder as Whit
Charles Branklyn as Crooks
Sabrina the Dog as the Candy’s Old Dog
