A Night At The Movies, "Of Mice And Men"

Last night Chad and I headed to The Grand Theatre to see the Broadway production of Of Mice and Men that was filmed during their final performance. I was really bummed I missed it on Broadway, so this was a very nice means of seeing the show.

The set was absolutely outstanding, as were the lights. Ususally if I notice the lighting it doesn't bode well for the performances. This was not the case with this show at all. The entire production, from start to finish, was amazing and wonderful.

Chris O'Dowd received a Tony nomination and many other accolades for his rendition of Lenny, and deservedly so. He played Lenny with strength, vulnerability and precious heart. While Chad felt there were a few times Chris' accent bled through, I thought he was spot on.

I was pleasantly surprised by James Franco's performance. I really hate that his characterization of George didn't get the buzz that Chris' performance did. There were many times that as good as Chris was, James was even better. His George started out a bit too angry during the opening scene, but the deeper we got into the story, the more rounded his George became. He brought such glorious layers to George!

After seeing the production, I really do wish I had seen it in person. Still, I can console myself with the fact that seeing the movie version allowed for detailed close-ups that I would have missed on Broadway.