Mother Courage And Her Children

Bertolt Brecht wrote Mother Courage And Her Children in 1939 in the shadow of Nazi aggression and the imminent threat of World War II. The play follows a saleswoman through the years of a war as she plies her wares, making a profit from both sides of the conflict.

In director Eamon Flack’s hands, this production doesn’t always give enough weight to the condemnation Brecht meant for the title character and the choices she makes. In the lead role Australian theatre heavyweight Robyn Nevin plays Courage with a dry wit and a sparkle in her eye. It’s hard to take your eyes off her, even though her singing voice in the few musical numbers isn’t as strong as her fellow cast members’. On that score Paula Arundell as the upwardly mobile prostitute Yvette and Richard Pyros as Courage’s son, the soldier Eilif, prove themselves the most adept at the musical numbers but also carry the weight of their performances well. Though the costumes in this performance are modern and the language easily accessible, the play isn’t entirely successful in making the connection between Brecht’s 17th century war setting and today’s rampant capitalism and neverending conflicts. Even so, Mother Courage And Her Children still has a lot to say and the stark ending resonates long after the curtain call.