Of Mice And Men — Fact Sheet

COMPOSER & LIBRETTIST: Carlisle Floyd, after the novel by John Steinbeck

FORT WORTH OPERA DATES / TIMES / LOCATION

Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 2:00 pm
All Performances will be held at Bass Performance Hall, downtown Fort Worth, Texas

CHARACTERS & PRIMARY CAST

George Milton — Phillip Addis
Lennie Small — Anthony Dean Griffey
Curley’s Wife — Brandi Icard
Curley — Matt Morgan
Candy — Stephen West
Slim — Stephen Mumbert
Carlson — Adam Sattley
Ballad Singer — Scott Scully

Conductor Joe Illick
Director Richard Kagey

PRODUCTION

Performed in English with projected English subtitles.

TICKETS

Season Tickets: Include Lucia di Lammermoor, Turandot and Of Mice and Men. Complimentary vouchers to Angels in America will be included in all Friday, Saturday and Sunday Series packages. Weekend Packages include guaranteed seating to Angels in America. $50-$412 each. Call 817.731.0726, toll-free 1.877.FWOPERA (396-7372) or go online at www.fwopera.org.

Single tickets: $19 - $145. Students & military half-price with ID. Student rush pricing is $5 for any available seat starting 30 minutes prior to curtain with ID. Call 817.731.0726 or toll-free 1.877.FWOPERA (396-7372) or go online at www.fwopera.org.

BACKGROUND

Carlisle Floyd is one of the foremost composers and librettists of opera in the United States today. Of Mice and Men was premiered by Seattle Opera in 1970 and is one of his most performed works. It is based on John Steinbeck’s classic 1937 novel of the same name.

STORY

Two migrant ranch hands, George and Lennie, have always dreamed of a farm of their own. Lennie is physically far superior, but has the mind of a child and is always getting himself into trouble; George looks after him. They have just arrived at a new ranch, a new job, working for Curley and his brazenly flirtatious wife. George finds a want-ad with a small ranch he thinks they might be able to afford when another ranch-hand, Candy, says he will go in with them. Lennie gets a new puppy, but inadvertently kills it by handling it too roughly. He hides it as Curley’s wife comes into the barn. She encourages him to stroke her hair, but when she asks him to stop Lennie panics and inadvertently kills her too. The ranch hands and Curley are looking for Lennie with the intent to lynch him. Lennie goes to a clearing by the river to wait for George. George meets up with him and tells him to watch the river as he once again describes their dream life on a ranch to him. As Lennie ecstatically imagines it, George aims a pistol and fires, killing his friend.