‘Of Mice and Men’ is a gripping production

The adaptation of John Steinbeck’s book “Of Mice and Men” is currently playing in a Wine Country Theatre community theater production upstairs at the Paso Robles Park Ballroom on Park Street. Although a three-hour production, it is so gripping that the time flies by.

Professional actors play the roles of George, Lennie, Curly’s wife and Candy. The costuming reflects well the 1930s Depression setting. The strength of this production is its quality sensitive performances and honest rendition in a tight and focused play about the realities of life. There is overt sexuality in the form of a temptress on the ranch, actually a lost female soul in a brutal patriarchal culture, along with the transient hired help who struggle to survive. This play addresses ageism, racism and both an animal and disabled individual’s vulnerability. You could say, as one observes in Shakespeare, the tragedy of the world encapsulated right here in Paso Robles several nights a week in this wonderful local production “Of Mice and Men.”

This story was originally published March 13, 2016 at 12:33 PM with the headline "‘Of Mice and Men’ is a gripping production."