Pittsburgh in the Round: Prime Stage Theatre’s 22nd season – “The Season of Courage” – opened Saturday evening with John Steinbeck’s classic story Of Mice and Men. Based on the Steinbeck’s novella of the same name, the play tells the tale of two friends, George and Lennie, and their struggle to live the American dream during the Great Depression.
2 comments:
Most people are forced to read Of Mice and Men early in their high school career, and even if they do read the book, often times the book is mostly forgotten after some amount of time. This isn't an insult to how the education system works, but I definitely think this work should at least be read more than once, or later down the road. This is interesting because, Of Mice and Men is definitely a book everyone should read, because it is truly a great work of literature (a real American Classic), but it isn't as meaningful to high school freshman because many of the themes in the book (such as loneliness) haven't really hit into their lives. While they've probably experienced many struggles, the older you get the more you can relate with the story. So while you can't re-read Of Mice and Men for the first time again, I suggest that if you have time, you go see the show now. The reviewer describes the show as a "brilliant portrayal of characters dealing with life, loneliness, isolation, and exclusion." I think that's why this work has stayed around for so long, the realism of the show heavily resonates with the audience. The friendship between Lennie and George and their own aspirations I feel often in my own life. It's refreshing to see these personal struggles mirrored in someone else.
Of Mice and Men has always been one of my favorite books. I think the story shows such a beautiful friendship in a time in American history where it was tough to get by and no one trusted each other. When I read the play I was glad to see how closely it was to Steinbeck's story. I have never seen it done onstage, and part of me doesn't want to - I just want the story to live in my mind. But, this review has some promising things in how complimented the cast was of these hard to portray characters. As well as the designers seem to capture the time period well. I know I won't have the chance to see this particular production, but I am glad that it is still a show being produced. When a show like this is in performance I alway hope that local schools get the opportunity to see it because it is a commonly taught book in school systems.
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