“Of Mice & Men,” October 3 through 13

Thursday, October 3, through Sunday, October 13

Richmond Hill Barn Theatre, 600 Robinson Drive, Geneseo IL

The funny, moving, and profound stage version of one of literature's all-time classics enjoys an October 3 through 13 run at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre when the Geneseo venue stages Of Mice & Men, John Steinbeck's adaptation of his revered 1937 novel included as one of Amazon's list of “The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written.”

In Of Mice & Men, two drifters, George and his friend Lennie, with dreams of living off the “fat of the land,” arrive at a ranch, hoping to work for enough money to buy their own place. Lennie is a man-child, a little boy in the body of a dangerously powerful man. His obsessions with things soft and cuddly have made George cautious about who the gentle giant, with his brute strength, associates with. George’s promise to let Lennie “tend to the rabbits” on their future homestead helps to keep Lennie calm, as the overgrown child needs constant reassurance. But the ranch owner’s son is a brutal bully with a promiscuous wife, and Lennie’s encounters with them lead to tragic results. Realizing they can’t run away anymore, George is faced with a moral question in John Steinbeck's classic tale: How should he deal with Lennie before the ranchers find him and take matters into their own hands?

Directing Of Mice & Men for the Barn Theatre is Justin Raver, a Richmond Hill veteran who helmed last year's production of The Seafarer and 2022's Leaving Iowa, and who has been seen on-stage in productions including All My Sons, Escanaba in da Moonlight, and Death of a Salesman. Megan McConville serves as the drama's stage manager, with additional members of the show's creative team including set builder Mike Skiles, light and sound designer/operator Jennifer Kingry, crew member Leslie Day, and set builder Jim Skiles.

Richmond Hill favorites Kevin Maynard (Silent Sky, Over the Tavern) and Matthew McConville (The Seafarer, The Diviners) respectively portray Of Mice & Men's George and Lennie, And with the villainous Curley portrayed by Kevin Keck and Curley's (unnamed-by-Steinbeck) wife by Lily Blouin, Raver's ensemble is completed by Pat Kelley (Candy), Mike Skiles (Boss), Glenn Kluge (Slim), Julian Totton (Carlson), Zack Sullivan (Whit), Anthony Mitchell (Crooks), and canine performer Kane (Candy's Dog).

Of Mice & Men runs at Geneseo's Richmond Hill Barn Theatre from October 3 through 13, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Admission is $12, the show is rated PG-13 for language and adult themes, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)944-2244 and visiting RHPlayers.com.