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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2017 10:18:20 GMT
Josie Lawrence stars in the Tony Kushner translation of Brecht's Mother Courage. This is the same version that was used for the National Theatre version a few years back but presumably this version will be without the tedious Duke Special musical interludes.. southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/show/mother-courage-and-her-children/Tickets £12 with pay as you go, good legroom and sightlines but the seats aren't very comfortable. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2017 14:34:01 GMT
My Kushner radar has obviously been blinded as I missed this until a friend pointed it out yesterday...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2017 14:54:51 GMT
Bad luck, @xanderl, Duke Special is listed on the website.  |
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Post by dani on Nov 9, 2017 17:50:54 GMT
I've never seen this and would be interested in going. Reviews seem polarised, as most of the newspaper critics are negative (Stage, Times, ES), but there are some very favourable reactions from online sources such as Whatsonstage and Broadway World (though Artsdesk is another negative one).
No one seems to have posted about it on the board since the production was announced in August. I notice it's the same version that was used at the National a few years ago, but I missed that and wonder what people think of the Tony Kushner translation.
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Post by showgirl on Nov 9, 2017 20:38:24 GMT
I honestly cannot understand why anyone would choose to sit through this, which imo must be one of the most tedious and soul-destroying of Brecht's plays - though it's a close call with so many contenders. I know my memory isn't that good but I was scarred for life by the 1972 production with Miriam Karlin in the lead - 45 years ago and the experience haunts me still. Seriously, does anyone actually enjoy his work?
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Post by bellboard27 on Nov 10, 2017 13:03:27 GMT
I think the issue with this, as with much of Brecht, is the production decisions. I can certainly see how Mother Courage could drive an audience mad. However, earlier this year I went to a production by Fourth Monkey. It was interactive and quite a lot of fun.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2017 13:28:15 GMT
National Theatre Wales, in John McGrath's final production, staged it in and around Merthyr Tydfil Labour Club. For the first half, the audience was seated in the main hall in its Bingo configuration. For the final scene, staged outside on external scaffolding, the audience was led to stand in the car park. The play ended with Mother Courage pushing her shopping trolley out of the car park and down the street into Merthyr Tydfil and beyond. So, I agree with bellboard27.
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Post by bellboard27 on Nov 10, 2017 13:53:03 GMT
National Theatre Wales, in John McGrath's final production, staged it in and around Merthyr Tydfil Labour Club. For the first half, the audience was seated in the main hall in its Bingo configuration. For the final scene, staged outside on external scaffolding, the audience was led to stand in the car park. The play ended with Mother Courage pushing her shopping trolley out of the car park and down the street into Merthyr Tydfil and beyond. So, I agree with bellboard27. Do you think she is still going? |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2017 14:01:40 GMT
National Theatre Wales, in John McGrath's final production, staged it in and around Merthyr Tydfil Labour Club. For the first half, the audience was seated in the main hall in its Bingo configuration. For the final scene, staged outside on external scaffolding, the audience was led to stand in the car park. The play ended with Mother Courage pushing her shopping trolley out of the car park and down the street into Merthyr Tydfil and beyond. So, I agree with bellboard27. Do you think she is still going? We still tell tale of her in these parts...and sometimes late at night you can hear the creak of her shopping trolley.... |
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Post by andromedadench on Nov 10, 2017 21:34:24 GMT
I think the issue with this, as with much of Brecht, is the production decisions. I can certainly see how Mother Courage could drive an audience mad. However, earlier this year I went to a production by Fourth Monkey. It was interactive and quite a lot of fun. This is my experience, too. I've seen a couple of great productions of Brecht, Mother Courage included, and then, I've seen some duds, Mother Courage included. (none in London/ UK theatres, though) |
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Post by lou105 on Nov 14, 2017 23:17:46 GMT
Caught this today, in possibly my first Tuesday matinee. It was about half full, including a couple of school/college groups, and ran at 2 hours 50, which is shorter than advertised. I will never understand why Southwark start matinees at 3, particularly when they're long, yet they've put the evening show on at 7.30- not much break for the cast. Anyway! I haven't seen much Brecht on stage, but read a few in the dark ages at school. I was interested to see Josie Lawrence and she is certainly a strong central figure in this, despite the snap changes of tone required by Brecht's style. "And now, Mother Courage will sing.." she announces. I enjoyed the Chaplain too, and there was some nice comic moments from the prostitute character, though her words weren't always clear, I thought.
This is staged with the audience banked on two sides of a strip of floor which is the playing space. The light levels are quite high a lot of the time, and the cast make eye contact with the audience quite a bit- making us all part of the story. They also run up and down the steps of the seating and, bizarrely, if you're in the higher numbers block, you end up twisting round to watch scenes on a walkway behind you.
Josie Lawrence is worth seeing, but some of the rest of it got a bit frantic and shouty (yes, I know, it's war) and I didn't really follow the timeline properly. Taken as a series of scenes about war and the human spirit, it just about kept me on board.
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Post by Mr Snow on Nov 15, 2017 13:52:57 GMT
Good review. We were at the evening performance and it was also just over half full and whilst UI was hugely impressed with the play, it did seem a long evening in the trenches. The school parties did remain engaged though. Conversely the timelessless (a word?) of the production helped keep it as a meditation about war, rather than being preachy.
It was first time I’d seen the play and I read that Brecht revised it because audiences found her too sympathetic. Casting a well loved actress like JL made it hard to see the worst in her actions and this had to have affected our take on the piece.
Agreed that the action behind our seats was a huge mistake though.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2017 9:52:30 GMT
Saw this yesterday and if I'm honest I was a but apprehensive going in but I really enjoyed it. It was a really gritty and and well put together . I thought the direction was good and did not mind turning around to see the action behind but it was maybe not the best idea but liked th way they used the traverse stage and also the bits all outside like having some things off stage. The music was also really good in the show . Josie Lawrence performance was really good but there was no a weak link in the cast for me and everyone was equally brilliant.
Some of the scenes, especially when Katrin was on the roof got very tense and sitting front row added to being part of the action and sometimes having eye contact with the actors. This is a very good and exciting production and it felt shorter than 2 hours 50 and I was gripped from beginning to end. Try and catch it before it ends.
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