Last Saturday, after the performance of ‘Of Mice and Men’, I came away from the theatre feeling I had just watched a film, so real was the set and the acting.

The set was unbelievable. Having visited the theatre on ‘Open Sunday’ a few weeks before, I was aware that the raised, floor-boarded section of the stage, which served as bunkhouse and barn at different points in the play, had been carefully built, plank by plank. The shape of the bunkhouse section at an angle to the audience enabled everyone to feel they could see right into the room.

The forest clearing half with real trees was brilliantly arranged with the floor of the forest covered with bark and leaves. The river at the front of the stage - with real water and pebbles – was so obviously a river bank made even more realistic by the constant background sound of running water in the river scenes.

The characters were so well played, I quite forgot that I was watching actors. Every on of them brought their own attributes to their parts. Performances which really stood out were Candy, Curly, Slim and of course George and Lennie.

I appreciate that the end of the play was rather emotional and shocking. However, I should still have been pleased to do a lot more clapping and would have loved to have seen the players for a little longer at the end of the performance.

Well done to everyone who was involved with this production – I think it the best I have seen at Queen Street!

With best wishes
Sue Ritchie