The rehearsal

the long version

"In the spring of 1971, Will Bartlett comes up with a plan that will change his family's life forever. As the ambitious director of a small, struggling resident theatre, Will is under increasing pressure to sustain the public's interest. His idea is to invite the entire cast of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men to his country farm to "become" their characters in the month before their first performance. But soon everything Will has taken for granted is shaken to its core, as events and personalities spiral out of his control with often comic consequences.". "Immersed in his vision for this production, Will is oblivious to the dramas being played out around him: the tension between his wife, Myra, and teenage daughter, Beth, as they vie for the part of Curley's Wife; the rivalries triggered by the arrival of the sensuous and wildly self-centered young actress Melinda; and the beginnings of a love affair between Myra and his best friend."--BOOK JACKET.