The play is about George and Lennie. Two men who work and travel together in, what looked like, 1930's California. George is hardworking, rough around the edges, and keeps Lennie on a short leash. Lennie is mentally disabled, large, with a very youthful personality. Whenever Lennie "misbehaves"or causes trouble George has to pack up and move the two of them to the next ranch to work and earn money. Lennie likes it when George talks about their plans to have a ranch of their own. Their dreams of their own home with land is what motivates them. Everything comes to a head at the next ranch they work on. George realizes Lennie has become too much of a handful.
The relationship between George and Lennie is very moving to watch. They both look out for each other, protect each other, and though they never say it they also love each other. The theme of the script is companionship, loneliness, and the need for someone to be close to. Leighton Meester plays a rancher's wife who briefly gets close to Lennie. She is the only woman on the ranch with no one to confide in, so she constantly visits the other working men on the ranch hoping to talk to one them.
We can all relate the need to be close to someone else. Companionship and the desire to not be alone is within all of us.
I really liked seeing George and Lennie together. Chris and James had great chemistry. Chris was flawless, vulnerable, honest and sincere as Lennie. Chris stole the show, for me. George was sensitive when it came to Lennie. Lennie is his weakness. James was fantastic as George. James reminded me of James Dean: mysterious, dominant, aggressive, takes care of Lennie before himself. If there is one thing I have learned, James Franco always delivers and his performance in this play far surpassed any expectation I had. Brilliant performances!
The scene transitions were themed to the period. Strategically period props were used to maneuver scene changes, even having a water trough on stage! Very cool!
The stage blood was very well done. During fights you'd start to see blood appear on their faces. It looked as though they had a stash of makeup and blood in various places on stage. While the other men would move around and encourage the fight, shielding the fight slightly, the two fighters would mess up their faces to show the damage. It something you have to see to believe, it was a very creative way to simulate a real time fight.
The only part I'm still trying to understand is the ending. I won't give it away here, but if any of you out there know the ending and understand why it had to end the way it did, please feel free to comment below.
In the last moments of the play, Lennie asks George to repeat what they once talked about at the beginning. George points out over the audience to the mountains in the distance and tells Lennie to imagine the good life they planned. George begins to describe the ranch and the animals they would've had. Lennie looks out, blank expression behind his eye while he tried to "see" what George describes. Then Lennie asks George to talk about them.
"Guys like us, they got no family," George starts.
"But not us George. Not us because I got you and you got me," says Lennie with enthusiasm,
"That's what gives a hoot in hell about us."
The last moment they share together on stage is Lennie looking out over the audience into those mountains, and his eyes light up for a moment with excitement. "I see it George! I can see it."
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