Sunday Times Article on Mother Courage

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 10:19pm

An excerpt:

"WHEN Oskar Eustis, the artistic director of the Public Theater, decided to produce Bertolt Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children” in Central Park, he knew it wouldn’t be easy. “Most theater people I know will agree that ‘Mother Courage’ is a great play, but nobody actually wants to do it,” he said. “Nobody’s seen a production they like.”

As it turned out, George C. Wolfe, Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline wanted to, and so this 1939 classic will begin previews at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park on Tuesday.

“I’m hoping this production will change the way the American theater looks at Brecht,” said Mr. Eustis, who stressed that the crucial advantage this time — the show’s stars and director notwithstanding — is a new translation of the play by Tony Kushner. “This is the first time a truly great American playwright, with exactly the right voice and political sensibility, has turned his hand to Brecht,” Mr. Eustis said. “I think the result will open a lot of eyes.”

Brecht’s influence is so ubiquitous it is taken for granted. Though his early work received dismal reviews in the United States, Marc Blitzstein’s 1954 adaptation of “The Threepenny Opera” was a huge hit. The play had a seven-year run on Broadway while the other major Brecht plays, produced outside the commercial mainstream, made deep impressions on the burgeoning avant-garde and in universities. Brecht became a cornerstone of leftist cultural politics in America during the Vietnam era. The critic Robert Brustein wrote that he “helped to turn our Pepsodent smile into a Weimar sneer.”

But young theater artists often have no clue how much their savvy and self-conscious techniques owe to Brecht. And, “The Threepenny Opera” aside, many Americans have never really warmed to his plays, despite their influence. The underlying Marxism and a certain aura of stuffy academicism turned off many viewers. And the politically shrewd, double-edged acting style the plays called for — perfected and then enshrined by the Berliner Ensemble — was never widely understood in American rehearsal halls. (The Berliner Ensemble is putting on a new production of “Threepenny” this month in its hometown as part of a large festival to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Brecht’s death.)

“Mother Courage” presents its own problems. An epic drama set in the 17th century during the politically complex Thirty Years’ War, the play follows the fortunes of a tough, resourceful woman who survives by running a commissary business that profits from all sides. As the war claims her three children in turn, the play poignantly demonstrates that those who live off war eventually pay a terrible price. On the surface the drama is openly didactic, but underneath are some of the most richly conceived characters and compassionately drawn relationships in all of Brecht’s work."


For the rest:
Still Fearsome, Mother Courage Gets a Makeover

[aspiringactress]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 10:21pm

I am so excited for this.

[SweMozArt]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 10:25pm

Its a question of courage. If the translator has a lot of it the producers need less.
Updated On: 8/5/06 at 10:25 PM

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 10:55pm

Have tickets to the 2nd to last performance (Sept 2nd).

It'll be a madhouse, but does anyone know if there's a stagedoor at the Delacorte? I have dreamed of making eye contact with Ms. Streep for even a brief second. To have the honor of meeting her at a stagedoor would probably have me in tears.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 10:57pm

The stage door is Gate 1. Good luck....I don't even think I'll be attempting that one....although Kevin Kline is my idol.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 10:58pm

Typically silly blather from Wolfe (damning Brecht with faint praise while seeking to 'improve' him) and the predictable Times imprimatur for the oh-so-politically correct gay black/gay Jew/woman triumvirate that brought you the dead-on-arrival CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. Yawn.



Vivian Darkbloom
Ramsdale, New England
Updated On: 8/6/06 at 10:58 PM

[SakeDad]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 11:25pm

We have tix for Saturday Aug 11 and I can't WAIT!

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/5/06 at 11:33pm

Thanks, yank.

[Alix7272]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 1:11am

Can I ask how you got tickets in advance? Just curious. I plan on waiting on the line with a friend on the 17th. I can't wait!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 1:23am

Advance tickets are available through the Public's Summer Sponsorship Program, in exchange for a $150 donation to the theatre, you receive a ticket to a given performance of the show:

https://patronsecure.com/publictheater/member_register.cfm?regtype=0&promocode=123

I did it gladly and will be sitting second row center to see this production in a couple of weeks. Waiting in line is fine if you have the time and are willing to spend the night on the sidewalk (the last time Streep and Kline were in the Park -- 6 summers ago in Chekhov's THE SEAGULL -- the lines started forming before midnight and many times those who arrived after 5 or 6am were out of luck ...... and they don't distribute the tickets until 1pm).

Updated On: 8/6/06 at 01:23 AM

[Alix7272]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 2:18am

oy. I was planning on arriving around 5,6. I guess I might be joining an overnight crowd, which would be a fun experience I'm sure/hope. (If I could afford $150, I would gladly do it.)

[brainpolice23]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 3:13pm

I'm interning w/ Shakespeare in the Park and got to see a lot of the first run-through from the vom's on saturday. I must say, the set looks terrific, the music is quite cool, and the acting is superb. You all are going to be blown away by Meryl, Kevin, Austin, and Jenifer Lewis. I must say that Austin is one of the most focused actors I have ever seen. Some of the songs have this very interesting spanish flair to them, accented by beautiful trumpet runs. Be sure to get on line early for this show, it is going to be superb.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 8/6/06 at 7:42pm

This sounds amazing. What a team! If this production is as well-received as is being anticipated, is there a possibility it would move to Broadway?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 12:24pm

Doubtful, considering Streep and Kline's schedules. Kline is already booked to do King Lear at the Public later this season and Streep always seems to have movie commitments (not to mention, she's sworn she won't do a Broadway run until her last daughter leaves for college -- which won't be for another couple of years).

It's also pretty rare for Delacorte shows to move. I think On The Town was the last one (it flopped) and before that Patrick Stewart's The Tempest.

By the way, here's a promising report about the dress rehearsal from ATC:


http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=293269

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 12:44pm

wish I could be there for this. And I think many many people would debate that CAROLINE OR CHANGE was "dead on arrival." Seems like a good team to me, and not because of their political correctness/diversity. Because of their talent.

[WesternSky2]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 12:47pm

I'll also be joining the overnight crowd. I'm going to keep an eye on how early people are lining up, but I'm expecting to line up between 8 and 10pm the night before. Kevin Kline is my favorite actor.. I can't miss it. It'll definitely be an experience!

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 12:58pm

1 PM they hand out tickets?

Oy.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 12:59pm

As I said in another thread, the Public really needs to consider a lottery system of some type. It's insane that the only way to see these shows in the Park is to line up 14 hours ahead of time the night before, pay $150 or by having a connection with access to tickets.