For most small theater companies, the level
of acting necessary for John Steinbeck’s "Of Mice and Men"
would be prohibitive. But undaunted by the difficult text, the
2-year-old Charlie Pineapple Theatre Company has chosen this
drama for its fourth production.
Mark VanDerBeets both co-directs and plays a major role in the
play, and even those who (like this reviewer) frown on this kind
of doubling up, must admit he does a remarkable job in both capacities.
"Of Mice and Men" is a play about the universal need
for companionship. George (VanDerBeets) is a ranch hand who takes
care of the powerful but dim-witted Lenny (Robert McCarthy) as
they move around California looking for work. While traveling,
they concoct a dream about how they will one day settle down,
farm and raise rabbits.
Lenny is particularly eager to help with the rabbits as he likes
small, soft things. The problem is that Lenny’s strength and
lack of intelligence lead more often than not to his killing
the animals he loves. He has already gotten into trouble when
he refused to let go of a woman’s velvety dress.
By the banks of the Salinas River, Charlie and Lenny find work
on a ranch where they meet Candy (the excellent Steve Abbruscato),
another lonely misfit who convinces himself he can share their
dream. But as the line goes in Robert Burns’ poem, "The
best-laid plans of mice and men oft go awry. And leave us naught
but grief and pain."
The owner of the ranch has a belligerent son, Curley (Nicholas
Kattor), who likes to pick on smaller guys when he can beat them,
and bigger guys when they can beat him, so he can yell "foul."
Curley has a wife (Sarah VanDerBeets) who is bored, aggrieved
and frustrated. From the moment the two walk on stage (never
together), it is apparent that Lenny’s fate is sealed.
With not much more than Steinbeck’s gripping script (Julio Montero
gets the credit for sound and light design), the cast of "Mice
and Men" manages to evoke the bunkhouse, the stable, the
barn and the sandy banks of the river.
VanDerBeets as George is brutal, kind and practical. He is noble
in his stoic resignation to his hard-luck life. The fact that
he also directs McCarthy in a performance that is nothing less
than stunning is all the more to his credit.
Of course, McCarthy’s performance is so natural that one suspects
he may have needed very little direction. His rendition of the
stutter and the stance of a grown man with the mind of a child
is painfully believable. A few scenes were so perfect this reviewer
wanted to stand up and applaud.
The supporting cast of cowboys – Mark Stone, James Kloiber, Jesse
Shafer, Paul Young and Reginald Ferguson – is also noteworthy.
These actors masterfully capture the West of the not-so-distant
past when men lived and died with their boots on.
It is perhaps partly due to the contrast with the other performers
and partly due to inexperience that Sarah VanDerBeets is so unconvincing
as Curley’s wife. Although she is co-artistic director of the
company and co-director of this production, she is primarily
a dancer, and in this play, she is stepping into a role that
is too big for her. Casting her for this important role was a
mistake a young company cannot afford to make if it wants to
be taken as seriously as Charlie Pineapple deserves to be.
However, given the promise of the Charlie Pineapple Theatre Company,
most people should be willing to overlook one unfortunate slip.
This is an up-and-coming company happy to tackle substantial
work. We are eager to see what they will offer for their next
project.
Charlie Pineapple Theatre Company’s
production "Of Mice and Men" runs through Dec. 19 and
Jan. 7-22, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 8 pm, at 248B N.
Eighth St. at Roebling Street in Williamsburg. Tickets are $15.
For reservations, call (718) 907-0577 or visit www.charliepineapple.com.
