Classics of fiction rarely make it to the stage crafted
by the original writer. John Steinbeck didn't let that happen with Of
Mice And Men; he wrote the script for the 1937 Broadway production.
The emotional, ultimately tragic tale of friends Lennie and George,
a pair of drifters during the Depression, has become an American classic.
"And it's a classic for a reason," enthuses Benjamin Clost,
who plays the explosive Curley in the CanStage season opener. "It's
told with incredible simplicity and unfolds with the feel of Greek tragedy.
"It deals with the non-sexual love between two men, George and
Lennie, who are like brothers, the slow Lennie cared for by the more
worldly George.
Clost has just closed the production, directed by Dennis Garnhum, in
Calgary. It's about time he returned to the Toronto stage. He's an undervalued
actor. After a version of Romeo And Juliet a few years ago, his work
here has been limited to some Pinter one-acts.
He first caught my attention in his final year at George Brown Theatre
School, where he handled classical and contemporary works with ease,
biting into the language with relish to create memorable characters.
He went on to more Shakespeare and a year's tour of The Lion King in
the States, and later this year plays the giggly Mozart in Amadeus and
tackles a new work by Michael Rubenfeld.
"I saw myself as a physical comedian when I was in high school,
and my idols were Chaplin, Red Skelton and Laurel and Hardy," he
smiles. "But at George Brown I fell in love with Shakespeare, and
I think that love ultimately stems from my father's passion for the
wordplay of Monty Python, which I watched growing up."
Music keeps Clost busy these days. He's songwriter, vocalist and rhythm
guitarist in the Mariners, a five-member group that plays folk, blues
and rock.
"I have to thank Disney for giving me the confidence to sing in
public. The Lion King showed me I could do it, and now music provides
a different kind of emotional outlet from acting. Onstage I perform
someone else's words; in concert I say what I want."
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