Iron Age Theatre & The Centre TheaterPresent
Iron Age Theatre & The Centre Theater
Present
"Of Mice and Men" opens November 1 and runs through November 24 at the
Centre Theatre in the Montgomery County Cultural Center in Norristown.
Showtimes are at 8 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. On October 31 there is
a "pay what you can" preview of the play at 8 p.m. Tickets are $16 and $12.
Call 610-279-1013 for information.
Steinbeck’s timeless 1937 tale vividly captures the hardscrabble reality
and unfulfilled dreams of the migrant farm worker. Against a canvas of
intense loneliness and constant threats Steinbeck draws an unlikely
friendship between George, the tough-talking dreamer, and Lennie, the
big-hearted, simple-minded giant who depends on him. As we follow these
unforgettable characters on the ill-fated course, we are haunted by wrenching
images of displaced and discarded persons, past and present. This cherished
American drama explores our fundamental need for companionship and caring,
and our unyielding desire to root ourselves in the land on which we toil.
According to director John Doyle the play has never been more relevant.
"With a drought worse than the dust bowl affecting the Midwest, a broken
economy that leaves many Americans, especially rural ones, out in the cold,
and a war looming on the horizon, this play speaks to our world today just as
profoundly as it did in 1937."
Starring as George is Ray Saraceni. Mr. Saraceni has received critical
acclaim for his roles in "Angels in America," "Luther," "The Interrogation of
Nathan Hale." Saraceni has appeared at Philadelphia Shakespeare and Arcadia
Shakespeare.
Playing Curley, the hot-headed boxer is John Fidler. Fidler has acted
with The Azuka Theatre Collective, the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, the
Williamstown Theatre Festival and the Virginia Shakespeare Festival. Lary
Moten plays Crooks, the crippled black harness maker. Moten has acted around
the country in film, television, radio and onstage. In Philadelphia he has
acted at the Arden, Philadelphia Dramatists Center, Hedgerow and the
Adrienne.
Melissa diLeonardo plays the voluptuous, trouble-making wife. She has
acted with Philadelphia Theatre Company, Young Playwright’s Festival, the
Walnut Street Theatre, and Theatre Catalyst. BobWeick plays the mule sinner
Slim. Weick has been a long time company member at the Theatre Outlet in
Allentown and has appeared at the Philadelphia Fringe and on television and
in independent films.
Rounding out the stellar cast is Steve McLean as Candy, and RJ Timlin as
the Boss.
Iron Age Theatre has been one of the most critically acclaimed companies The Centre Theater is in the Montgomery County Cultural Center at 208
DeKalb Street in Norristown. It is easily reached from Routes 202, I-76,
I-476 and Ridge Pike. There is plenty of free parking and the theatre is one
block from Septa's Norristown Transit Center, R6 line. Call 610-279-1013 for
tickets and information or visit us on the web at www.artscc.org.
John Steinbeck’s classic American drama about dreams, friendship and
loneliness during the Great Depression opens November 1. "Of Mice and Men" is
one of the most beloved plays written. With heartrendingly real characters,
it is the perfect rural tragedy. "Of Mice and Men" is a compassionate and
universal statement of survival, conferring dignity on the lowest level of
our society.
John Steinbeck was born in 1902 in California’s Salinas Valley, a region
he would set many of his novels and "Of Mice and Men" in. He studied
literature at Stanford, but left without a degree to work as a laborer and
journalist in New York City. His first novel was published in 1929 and he
became a relentless and dedicated writer. His masterpiece "The Grapes of
Wrath" was written in 1939 and he won the Pulitzer Prize for the novel.
Steinbeck experimented with many forms, writing plays, novels, short stories,
and movies. He wrote about many topics, but his hallmark was a compassionate
understanding of the disinherited written with a beautiful, unpretentious
lyricism.
Playing Lennie is Anthony M. Giampetro. Giampetro has acted at The
Philadelphia Theatre Company, The Drama Guild, and the Philadelphia Festival
Theatre. He received great reviews for his role as Mountain in "Requiem for a
Heavyweight," and the Chief in "One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest."
working in the Philadelphia Area. Their most recent show Amiri Baraka’s
racially charged revolutionary drama "Dutchman," played at the African
American Museum for the Philadelphia fringe festival to rave reviews. Other
recent productions include Sam Shepard’s "Curse of the Starving Class,"
Tennessee Williams "Night of the Iguana," "Luther" and "Tunnel."