Of Mice and Men

I got a free ticket (yay) to see last night a stage version of "Of Mice and Men" over in Carlsbad. First off, I really like Carlsbad - especially the village. It is upscale without being stuffy - like a super low key La Jolla but not quiet as bohemian crunchy as Encinitas. I would totally live over there in Carlsbad as the village is loaded with cool bungalows, garden style apartments, second hand shops, nice restaurants at all price points, and fun bars. I had never been to this particular theatre and did not expect much but I did know it was a professional production and not a community player type deal - still you never know. Boy was I pleasantly surprised! It was a great theatre! Nice set up, probably about 100 seats so real intimate, excellent stage, seating, and sound. All well beyond my expectations.

As for the production - it was great, really well acted. Of course I felt an immediate connection as it is set in Southern California during the great depression, which is not too different a story from today, but moreover the two leads (pictured above) were top notch. Although it is a very sad story of a touching friendship, trying times and a difficult decision. I think the writing of the stage adaptation could have been beefed up a bit to effectively drive home the emotions behind everything leading up to the horrendous final action but still these two leads gave it their all with the words they were given to use. I could still feel the desperation, disappointment, loneliness and heartache very clearly. It is not too difficult having lines to deliver like, "A guy needs somebody to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody". Sparse and yet sharp - so Steinbeck. Yes I know they are Steinbeck's gritty words but they don't get full time to disseminate and resonate within the time constraints of a play. However they still got their punch in as it did make me cry and I am even thinking about paying to go see it again. Regardless, I will definitely keep posted on future shows put on by that theatre company! What a great night out.