Joffrey Ballet Presenting OF MICE AND MEN World Premiere
WDCB’s Gary Zidek visits one of the rehearsals for Joffrey Ballet’s much-anticipated world premiere, OF MICE AND MEN.
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“It’s not a romantic piece, many ballets focus on romantic love. I was interested in creating a ballet about friendship and support, all of those things that in the last two years we’ve really discovered how mcuh we’ve craved as human beings” - OF MICE AND MEN choreographer Cathy Marston talking about her interest in adapting John Steinbeck’s classic.
Choreographer Cathy Marsont (left) working with two dancers at a recent rehearsal for the Joffrey’s OF MICE AND MEN.
Eighty-five years after its publication, John Steinbeck’s novella OF MICE AND MEN is as relevant today as it was the day it came out. Americans were still reeling from the Great Depression in 1937, today people are still coping with the numerous effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, the story of two friends holding onto a dream as they attempt to navigate an increasingly unforgiving series of challenges is timeless regardless of current events, which is one of the reasons OF MICE AND MEN is considered a literary classic. Though, it’s fair to point out that the book’s themes of loneliness and despair feel especially relevant today. Which is why Steinbeck’s work is such an intriguing piece of source material for the world premiere ballet adaptation that’s set to be presented by the Joffrey Ballet. OF MICE AND MEN has been adapted for stage, film and opera over the decades. And now the classic story will be told through dance.
This new OF MICE AND MEN piece is Cathy Marston’s first original creation for The Joffrey Ballet. The dance story follows George Milton and Lennie Small, two drifters looking for work in Depression-era California. George and Lennie face numerous challenges that test the nature of their friendship. The score for the world premiere comes from multiple-time Academy Award-nominated composer Thomas Newman.
(left to right) Xavier Nuñez and Dylan Gutierrez in OF MICE AND MEN. Photo credit Todd Rosenberg
