Stage adaptation of John Steinbeck classic Of Mice and Men at Leeds Playhouse

Iqbal Khan is the leader of one such group, bringing his production of the John Steinbeck classic to the stage of Leeds Playhouse this month. “We’ve assembled an extraordinary, inclusive company of actors that embrace the lived experience of these characters,” says Khan. “They understand profoundly how their visible otherness has excluded them from opportunity and that brings a depth and vulnerability to the production that is difficult to put into words. It has been a privilege to discover the great truths of this timeless and enduring piece with them.”

Published in 1937, Steinbeck’s novella tells the story of a friendship between two men – Lennie, who is physically huge but with the mindset of a child, and George, his closest ally and protector. Anyone who witnessed the heart-wrenching scene of Kevin Sinfield carrying his best friend Rob Burrow over the line of the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon this weekend will understand the power of the story of friendship between two men who lean on each other for hope and survival.

Set in the USA during the Great Depression, the two men move to a new farm in their search for work. Here, they finally hope to put down roots but then tragedy strikes and their friendship is put to the ultimate test. Tom McCall, who plays George, wasn’t previously familiar with the story, but he was only a few pages into the script when he realised this was the perfect role for him. “The relationship between Lennie and George is brotherly but it’s parental as well and, having recently become a father, this made me really want the part. George’s fierce protection of Lennie and his unwavering support are not easy – much like being a parent,” says McCall.

“What I like about George is his care and his love as well as his fierce wit and his speed of thought. He has an ability to become who he needs to be in this hard, hard world of the play. He has a dream and he has hopes and aspirations, and I think part of the tragedy about George is he’s constantly putting a lid on that because he’s scared. I feel like he is striving for this thing the whole play and it’s kind of sitting there in front of him in Lennie. His purpose and his dream are irrelevant if Lennie is not there.”

Tom grew up in North Birmingham, and now lives in Stratford-upon-Avon, and has performed in a host of Royal Shakespeare Company productions and sees parallels with some of those roles and George. “George is one of the great parts, it’s up there with anything that Arthur Miller has written and all of Shakespeare’s biggies. What happens across the four days from the start of the play to the end is just a million miles away from George at the beginning. And that is what I’m looking for in a part –someone who starts as one thing and ends as something else. I’m blown away by this part.”

Wiliam Young, who plays Lennie, was born with agenesis of the corpus callosum and has complex learning difficulties – which has helped him empathise with his character. “I feel there is a deep connection between George and Lennie. I get where George is coming from about being fiercely protective but also quite gentle with Lennie. You can see Lennie runs George ragged but there’s a genuine affection for him,” says Young.

“I think getting into Lennie’s mindset is easier having a similar condition to what Lennie probably has, although his is undiagnosed. It’s difficult for somebody with autism or ACC to express their feelings and get stuff out and they need more time to process, all like Lennie.”

McCall is delighted to be sharing the stage with Young. “With this company there’s a lot of lived experience and that’s something you don’t usually see on stage. It makes such a difference. I’m so glad theatre is now waking up and putting people on stage with a lived experience.”

At Leeds Playhouse to May 27.