The Touring Consortium Theatre Company and the Birmingham Repertory Theatre present a new tour of John Steinbeck’s classic OF MICE AND MEN, opening at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on 4 February 2016, with a national press night on 9 February, and touring the UK until May.
Two migrant farm workers held together by a mutual dependence, a deep affection and an undying loyalty go in search of new beginning in the hope of attaining their shared dream: of putting together enough money to buy a small piece of land and building a home. No strangers to trouble, George and Lennie soon find themselves reeling from the fallout of an innocent misunderstanding which spirals out of control and leaves the two men, bound together by friendship, facing an earth-shattering climax. A story, raw in speech and action, full of heart and unflinching realism, it remains one of the most poignant statements of being human our contemporary theatre has produced.
OF MICE AND MEN will be directed by Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s Artistic Director Roxana Silbert, with design by Liz Ascroft, lighting by Simon Bond, sound design and original composition by Nick Powell, and with Nick Pitt as Associate Director and Lucy Cullingford as Movement Director. The cast will include Dave Fishley as ‘Crooks’, Nicholas Goode as ‘Whit’, Saoirse-Monica Jackson as ‘Curley’s Wife’ Neil McKinven as ‘Carlson / Boss’, Kristian Phillips as ‘Lennie’, Jonah Russell as ‘Slim’, and William Rodell as ‘George’, Ben Stott as ‘Curley’ and featuring Dudley Sutton as ‘Candy’.
Dudley Sutton is best known for his role in the BBC classic Lovejoy but is also a renowned stage actor who began his career starring in some of the most iconic plays of the sixties, including Jo Orton’s Entertaining Mr Sloane and Tom Murphy’s A Whistle In The Dark. Over the course of his career he has worked with legendary directors including Federico Fellini, Derek Jarman, Sally Potter and Ken Russell.
UK tour dates 2016
Thursday 4 – Saturday 13 February
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Tuesday 23 – Saturday 27 February
Cheltenham Everyman Theatre
Tuesday 1 – Saturday 5 March
Nottingham Theatre Royal
Tuesday 8 – Saturday 12 March
Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton
Tuesday 15 – Saturday 19 March
Darlington Civic Theatre
Tuesday 22 – Saturday 26 March
Grand Theatre, Blackpool
Tuesday 12 – Saturday 16 April
Arts Theatre, Cambridge
Tuesday 19 – Saturday 23 April
Theatre Royal, Brighton
Tuesday 26 – Saturday 30 April
King’s Theatre, Edinburgh
Tuesday 3 – Saturday 7 May
New Theatre, Cardiff
Tuesday 10 – Saturday 14 May
Oxford Playhouse
Monday 23 – Saturday 28 May
Leicester Curve
Photo: Shaun Webb