Chenango River Theatre Presents OF MICE AND MEN 10/1-24

Closing the season, from October 1 - 24, Chenango River Theatre will mount the classic beauty from the heart of American literature, Of Mice and Men. Co-Produced by IBM and Naima & Ara Kradjian and written by John Steinbeck, one of America's most celebrated authors, the play won the 1938 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. Until you've seen it on stage, you haven't really experienced it.

It's the American dream - owning some land, some place to call your own, to be your own boss. Steinbeck tells a powerful story set during the Great Depression that explores the ultimate bond of friendship. It's a tale of two drifters - men whose dreams are always just beyond the horizon - a story that talks about the real hopes and dreams of working class America, then and now.

Steinbeck, more perhaps than any other American playwright, makes a hero of The Common man and speaks their language with a simple, unmatched eloquence. Perhaps part of why this play still has such an impact is that the author lived the story.

In an interview with the NY Times, Steinbeck said, "I was a bindlestiff myself for quite a spell. I worked in the same country that the story is laid in. The characters are composites to a certain extent. Lennie was a real person. He's in an insane asylum in California right now. I worked alongside him for many weeks. He didn't kill a girl. He killed a ranch foreman. Got sore because the boss had fired his pal and stuck a pitchfork right through his stomach. I hate to tell you how many times I saw him do it. We couldn't stop him until it was too late."

Originally premiering in 1937, Of Mice and Men is a moving study of two roving farmhands in search of their piece of the American Dream. Steinbeck's humane treatment of their brotherhood and fellowship lifts your spirits. It is poetry of the soul - a classic story of a simple-minded behemoth and his protector, and their search for a place in the California sun.

In addition to Chenango River Theatre's regular 4-week main stage performances, The Raymond Corporation is co-producing special on school time educational performances available to area schools. Six additional performances, scheduled during the school day with a special student price of $9, are slated for Oct. 7 & 8, 14 & 15, and 21 & 22 - for information, call 656-8778.

Regular performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30, plus Sunday matinees at 2:00pm, Oct. 1 - 24 at Chenango River Theatre, 991 State Highway 12, Greene NY (just 20 minutes north of Binghamton). Tickets are $18 Thursdays, $19 Fridays & Sundays, and $22 on Saturdays. All performances start on time and there is no late seating. The box office opens one half hour before curtain.

PERFORMANCES ON OCT. 1, 2, 9 & 17 ARE SOLD OUT (except for Donor Level season subscribers). The 24 Hour Reservation Line accepts reservations at any time at 607 656-8499 (TIXX). Tickets may be charged to MasterCard, Visa or Discover. Visit www.chenangorivertheatre.org for a complete schedule and more information.

Photo: Ted Nappi (Lennie), Michael Arcesi (Candy) and Jack Harris (George) are featured in John Steinbeck's classic play Of Mice and Men, running Oct. 1-24 at Chenango River Theatre.