Octagon, Bolton
Sarah Brigham’s new production is beautifully designed but struggles to capture the drama’s claustrophobic tension

Before it got into the hands of readers, John Steinbeck’s 1937 novella Of Mice and Men first got into the jaws of the author’s dog. The dog would find less to get its teeth into with this muted theatre adaptation.

A pair of itinerant friends find work at a ranch in the Great Depression-era US south. George is brashly confident and protective over timid Lennie who has a mental disability that’s stigmatised by the workers. In Sarah Brigham’s production, Lennie is played by Wiliam Young, who has learning disabilities. There is a softness to his Lennie, calling George’s name like a squeak. His dangerously nervy, busy hands constantly brush his beard or arms, while the production uses puppets for the animals he pets. His posture mirrors theirs: drooping like a sack of barley, folding in on himself.

Of Mice and Men is at the Octagon, Bolton, until 12 April