With the dusty black set at the opening scene of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, now showing at the Arena Stage, one can immediately empathize with the sparse, lonely lives of ‘bindle stiffs,’ the itinerant ranch workers whose lives are the subject of this work. Of Mice and Men, which opened on Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 9, superbly portrays the lives of these workers trying to cope with a dire social climate and with their own complicated interpersonal relationships.
Throughout his life, Yoav Gilad (’93) has faced a challenge that most other people could never imagine. Now age 26, Gilad was diagnosed at birth with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), a chronic lung disease that, according to the National Institutes of Health website, is “the most common fatal hereditary disorder affecting caucasians [in America].” Gilad said that in high school he led a normal life that was not dominated by the disease.
Last winter, Incubus moved into a ranch-style house overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, Ca. to write and record their latest album, Morning View. The result is 59 minutes of peaceful, melodic music filled with catchy choruses and a large emphasis on the vocals of lead singer Brandon Boyd.
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Of despair and loneliness in dire times; Arena adds new dimension to Steinbeck masterpiece
Helping because he has ‘been there’; Battle with cystic fibrosis motivates Gilad to lend a hand
Music Review