Of Mice and Men (opera) George, at the urging of Candy and Lennie, reads the want ad aloud to them once again as the curtain falls. SCENE ONE. Lennie is disconsolate at having inadvertently killed his puppy, and is hiding it in the loft of the barn when Curley's wife enters, carrying a suitcase and obviously preparing to leave the ranch. She and Lennie begin to confide their dreams and fantasies to each other, neither aware the other is speaking: hers, a glamorous career as a movie star; his, to have pets on his farm. Lennie tells her of his love of stroking soft things,
Of Mice and Men (play) keeps Lennie out of trouble, but we soon see this is a slippery slope. Lennie's displays of love result in several deaths ranging from mice and puppies to a beautiful woman. Eventually, in the face of a lynch mob, George kills Lennie to put him out of his misery. Steinbeck adapted the play from the novel. The play had its world premiere circa October 1937 by the San Francisco Theatre Union The play premiered on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre on November 23, 1937 and closed in May 1938 after 207 performances. Directed by George S. Kaufman, the cast