‘Of Mice and Men’ — A Must See

By Eva Trieger

LA MESA, California — A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of interviewing director Teri Brown. Today I had the extreme honor of seeing Of Mice and Men and was truly humbled.

I have seen the film and at least four productions of the play.  None stirred me as much as this performance. Lamplighters Community Theatre has an award-winning show on their hands, and today’s audience was not the first to give a standing ovation to a multi-talented cast.

Speaking of casting, every single actor inhabited his role. Brown’s choices were perfect and I can’t imagine John Steinbeck having a quarrel with any of them. The leads, George (John Carroll) and Lennie (Knight Padilla) are truly some of the most gifted actors I’ve seen on our local stages and anywhere else.

Slim (Aion Harrison) and Carlson (Tom Delorenzo) were completely credible ranch hands, laboring on a ranch to scrape by along with fellow bunkhouse mates, Whit (Michael Rodgers) and Candy (Tom Kilroy).  Candy, previously injured in a ranch accident, befriends the two new fellows but is aware of his own precarious post at the ranch. Crooks, (David Crowell) the stable hand, is the only black man on the ranch, and this distinction magnifies his isolation from the others.

Boss (Steven Jensen) is a tough but fair man, and while his power is evident, he also demonstrates compassion and some degree of empathy.  The same cannot be said for his son, Curley (Nicholas Castillo), who is ornery, feisty and looking for a fight.  Curley’s new bride (Alyssa Salacup) has him twisted up with jealousy and suspicion. As the only woman on the ranch, Curley’s wife has no one to interact with so she seeks out the company of the ranch hands.

The story, at its core, is about isolation and loneliness. This theme is evident in every scene, in every character. Even though George is constantly complaining that his life is curtailed by Lennie, the two are co-dependent. This truth may not even be apparent to George until the end of the play. Though George tells Lennie, “Guys like us are different,” it’s unclear whether he believes his own words.

Each of the ranch hands lives a solitary existence.  Their lives proceed month to month.  They get their pay, and blow it on a Saturday night, always returning to work for the next paycheck. Each of the men, though they share a bunkhouse, is an island unto himself. Not so George and Lennie. George protects Lennie and despite Lennie’s mental limits, George loves him and wants to shelter him.

Nowhere is this isolation more evident than in the scene between Curley’s wife and Lennie. While the rest of the men are involved in a horseshoe competition, these two are in the barn. Though it appears they are in a conversation–one person speaks and then the other– they are actually each having their own stream of consciousness conversation. Neither is responding to the other. Curley’s wife is detailing her own pathetic childhood and explaining what drove her to marry Curley. All the while, Lennie is talking about the dream that he and George share for their liberated, autonomous future. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful and incredibly moving.

No spoiler alerts here!  The final scene of the play is so artfully enacted that I was reduced to tears.  It took me more than a few moments to compose myself and join my fellow audience members for the standing ovation.  The actors also seemed genuinely affected by what had just happened on the stage. Amazing.

Do not miss this production, even if you’ve seen this show before.  I promise you, you will not be disappointed. Thanks to the production team Cydney King, Nancy Roger and set designer Katina Peterson, this show is one of my favorites from this brave little venue.

Of Mice and Men will run through February 1st. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 619-303-5092 or online.

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Eva Trieger is a freelancer specializing in the coverage of the arts.