Quintessence Theatre presents Bertold Brecht’s MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN. Read the Phindie review. [The Sedgwick Theater, 7137 Germantown Avenue] October 12-November 6, 2016; quintessencetheatre.org.
What was interesting about this production was the closeness I felt with the characters. You can seen how I zoomed in on the characters much more than usual. There were very little moments where action could happen on my end, except for a few dance numbers.
This may be an anti-war message or marxist adaptation, but it is certainly a satire on sex,
on alcohol,
and on death.
Forest McClendon is a maniac towards the end.
It is equal in laughs with Daniel Miller from the opening scenes.
Finally Janis Dardaris kills it when she comes out in a modern woman’s attire dressed for business and soldiers sound off, “SELL, SELL, SELL.”
We remembered Dardaris from her role in Morning of Electra a couple years ago, and thought she did a great job in playing the different levels of feminism, and that is at first cold,
then motherly,
then sexy,
then strong.
Above, the Chaplain, Gregory Isaac, lays into Mother Courage. In a asexual manner, but she keeps drinking bourbon and being crass. As he chops wood his character is a foil throughout, and even when Swiss Cheese dies the Chaplain blames Mother Courage for benefiting from the war.’
The last scene is a dramatic death. The pounding on the drum, the two kneeling figures praying, more chopping of wood, and a gun shot kills Kattrin, Leigha Kato, and the worried faces of the peasants were seriously distraught! The acting was delivered well and these were secondary characters. Read the Phindie review.
[The Sedgwick Theater, 7137 Germantown Avenue] October 12-November 6, 2016; quintessencetheatre.org.