In the printed program for Crighton Theatre’s current production for “Of Mice and Men,” director Melody Montez has set the stage perfectly with her opening note: “When you read John Steinbeck‘s 1937 novella, “Of Mice and Men,” you would think to yourself that this book is ahead of its time. However, it is not. It illustrates a time in history that tackles many issues that are unfortunately still at the forefront of humanity today.”
Stage Right Productions has bravely taken on a real challenge with its current offering of John Steinbeck’s classic play, “Of Mice and Men.” Based on the author’s book, it would go on to win the 1938 “Best Play” award from the New York Drama Critics’ Circle, and this was back in the days before Tony Awards and Drama Desk Awards. The show is now in its final weekend of performances at the historic and beautifully restored Crighton Theatre in Conroe, Texas.
In our current age endlessly confronted with questions of racism and migration, it quickly becomes apparent that this often troubling drama, written nearly a century ago, is still very clearly a message for our times. The action plays out in the California farmlands of the Depression era, where nomadic migrants move from place to place seeking work on various farms. Such is the case here, where our two central characters, George Milton (Jacob Hoffpauir), and Lenny Small (Lucas Phillips) are traveling on foot to their next job. As they bed down for the night in an open field beside a stream, the dialogue quickly reveals that there is a problem here.
The hulking Lenny is anything but “small.” Although he is an imposingly big man, he is clearly mentally challenged, having no memory for details, and a constant tendency to annoyingly repeat the same phrases and questions over and over again. This is exasperating for his companion, George, as when they eat their humble bean supper out of the cans while Lennie keeps declaring, “I like ketchup on my beans,” in spite of George’s repeated reminders that, “We got no ketchup!” They are, indeed, an odd couple, but there is something sweet in their simple relationship as George tries to deal patiently with his handicapped friend. His patience is tested though, when he discovers that Lennie has a dead mouse in his pocket because he likes to pet things that are soft.
With a smooth transition via the efficient stage crew and flexible set of designer John Barton, the action then moves to the farm where George and Lennie have finally arrived a day late for their next rough work assignment, loading heavy bags of barley grain onto the mule team wagons. In the rugged interior of the bunkhouse we begin to meet the fine cast of supporting players. Rob Baker brings a folksy naturalness to his sweet performance as the kindly old-timer, Candy, who is somewhat handicapped by a long ago injury to his hand, and worries about his future. Matthew Johnson plays Slim, another likable character in the story. He is the driver of the mule team and has a kind and wise nature that gains him the respect of the others. He also has a dog that has just given him a litter of pups that will have their own place in the plot.
A less appealing character would be the cruelly sinister Curley (Kolby Hughes), son of the demanding ranch Boss (Cooper Smith). Curley was married recently to a pretty young girl referred to only as “Curley’s Wife” in the script. Shelby Colvin plays the part beautifully giving us a cheerful, flighty gal, full of vanity and wild dreams of getting to Hollywood and becoming a star, but she’s justifiably concerned about Curley’s frequent fits of jealous rage whenever he suspects someone of having eyes for his young bride. Miss Colvin delivers a poignant and solid scene in Act Two when she discloses to Lennie her plan to leave Curley, run away to California and become an actress. But Lennie and George have plans of their own to raise enough money to buy a plot of land with a small house, some farm animals, and a little garden where they can, “Live off the fat of the land,” as Lennie likes to declare at every opportunity.
There is another fine and sensitive performance from Ahmad Sanders as the lone black member of the team, Crooks. (So named for a spinal curvature in his back.) Of course in those Southern days of the 1930’s, blacks were always kept separate from whites. Incidentally, I recall one elderly Conroe resident explaining to me that in the early days of the Crighton Theatre as a movie house, blacks were required to sit upstairs in the balcony. So Crooks could not be in the main bunkhouse with the others, and was confined to a humble little shanty room of his own. Mr. Sanders does a fine job of projecting the racial isolation of the era.
Both Crooks and Candy are intrigued by the little house dreams of George and Lennie, and they hope to be able to tag along. Rounding out the supporting cast are two additional ranch hands, a handsome and guitar-strumming young man named Whit (Jonathan Brown), and a surly old guy named Carlson (Robert Bowlin) who insists on killing Candy’s feeble old dog because it “smells terrible.”
Director Montez has done a splendid job of guiding this fine cast through this sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes harrowing piece of theatre. While it is not essentially a “feel good” piece, it is a reminder that in real life, not all dreams come true. Wasn’t it The Rolling Stones who famously sang, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want?”
Stage Right Productions’ “Of Mice and Men” will conclude this weekend with performances at 7:30 pm on both Friday Feb. 20th and Saturday Feb. 21st, and a final Sunday matinee at 2pm Feb. 22nd. For tickets and information visit crightontheatre.org or call 936-441-7469. All shows are at the historic Crighton Theatre, 234 N. Main St., Conroe Texas. COMING SOON FROM STAGE RIGHT: “Mama Won’t Fly” April 3 – April 19, 2026
David Dow Bentley III, writes columns about the performing arts which are featured in newspapers from the East Coast to the Gulf Coast. A member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA), The International Theatre Critics Association, and America’s oldest theatrical club, The Lambs, he also had long service as the editor of The Lambs’ Script magazine. Mr. Bentley may be contacted via e-mail at ThePeoplesCritic3@gmail.com.