OF MICE AND MEN to Open This Month at Holmdel Theatre Group

The Holmdel Theatre Company has announced its upcoming run of John Steinbeck's heartbreaking American classic, Of Mice and Men, opening March 24 and concluding April 8 at the Duncan Smith Theater.

Set in Soledad, CA, during the darkest days of the Great Depression, this timeless parable about life, loneliness and the spiritually motivating yet often elusive nature of dreams, puts front and center the morality of man and our underlying desire to do right by one another.

This production of Of Mice and Men is directed by Michael Kroll and produced by Laurie Devino and Rebecca Zaccagnino.

To present this iconic American classic, Director Michael Kroll taps into a talented pool of local actors, with Dave Duncan and Brian Craig respectively taking on the leading roles of George Milton and Lenny Small, two optimistic, migrant ranch hands with a dream of one day owning their own patch of farmland paradise. They share the stage with aging ranch hand Candy (Paul Caliendo); Boss (Dave Harris), a stern but fair-minded employer; his son, the young, impetuous, boastful and ultimately inadequate Curley (Roberto Forero); Curley's wife (Ava Serene Portman) known simply as "Curley's Wife" or by other, less-desirable epithets. She too, dreams of a better life. Slim, the "prince of the ranch" (Jeff Caplan) contrasts dramatically with fellow ranch hand, Carlson (Steve Bartlow) whose crass lack of compassion toward Candy and his instigation of the ill fate of Candy's faithful four-legged companion is weakly protested by young rancher Whit (Tristan Takacs). Proud and bitter stable hand, Crooks (Arthur Gregory Pugh) rounds out the cast and represents the prejudice of the era, yet overcomes his instinctual cynicism and fancies joining George and Curley on their quest for a piece of the American Dream.

Steinbeck, also known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Grapes of Wrath, wrote the stage play, Of Mice and Men, in 1937. It was re-released for the silver screen in 1992 by Director/Producer Gary Sinise, starring Sinise and John Malkovich respectively as George and Lennie.

Of Mice and Men will open on Friday, March 24 and play for eight performances at the following dates and times:

Friday, March 24 at 8pm

Saturday, March 25 at 8pm

Sunday, March 26 at 2pm

Friday, March 31 at 8pm

Saturday, April 1 at 8pm

Sunday, April 2 at 2pm

Friday, April 7 at 8pm

Saturday, April 8 at 8pm

All performances are at the Duncan Smith Theater, 36 Crawfords Corner Road in Holmdel, New Jersey in front of the Holmdel High School. Ticket prices are $25 general public ($20 for seniors and $15 for students). Tickets may be purchased via the website at www.holmdeltheatrecompany.org.

The Holmdel Theatre Company (HTC) is a non-profit, semi-professional, educational theatre company dedicated to presenting fresh interpretations of classic plays as well as rarely-presented modern dramas and comedies. The Company's unique mission is to integrate young people and non-professionals with professional actors, technicians, designers and directors in a collaborative artistic and educational exchange. This initiative is used to raise the level of performance and to help all performers grow artistically from the exposure to professionals in the field.

Photo Credit: Chip Joyce

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