Drama Queens, a five-star arts journal focusing on female artists

Curley’s Wife as played by Jes Almeida discusses the lasting themes of Steinbeck American tragedy — now showing at MODERN CLASSIC THEATRE in Long Island

In what ways does the play challenge our sense of morality or justice?

I think in a lot of ways this play speaks on how we’re all, in some way, trapped by societal prejudice. You have a group of characters confined by ideas that were held at the time, who, throughout the play, are at the mercy of them while not necessarily agreeing with them. I think that this play points out that those societal challenges lead to the wrong people being in some way, persecuted or crucified.

What themes in the show resonate most with you, and why do you think they’re still relevant today?

The themes of loneliness and connection. The very last scene between Lennie and Curley’s wife shows two people with a desire for human kindness and connection and how fragile that can be when external factors and prejudices come into play. It’s probably one of the only points where both of our characters are shown empathy and we give it to each other. Mark and I actually worked together some years ago and already have such a good and friendly rapport with each other. Rehearsing with Mark really pulls at my heartstrings.

Additionally, I am the only woman in this show and every character except Lennie, truly treats Curley’s wife very poorly. With the assumption that she has a “wandering eye” when in fact, she is truly such a lonely person looking for someone to talk to and limited options. It’s still jarring at rehearsal when I hear it and I know it’s coming! Steinbeck is truly showcasing the poor treatment of women, people with mental illness, elderly, and people of different ethnicities who are on the fringes of society at the time. Steinbeck didn’t give Curley’s wife a name, which I think really drives home what he’s trying to say. It actually makes me feel very grateful for being fortunate enough to be born in a time where I can have my own bank account and make my own money on my own terms. It was only in 1974, with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, that women were granted the right to open their own bank accounts without a husband or male’s permission. That’s really not too long ago in history books if you really think about it and our rights continue to be challenged, even today with the overturn of Roe vs. Wade.