THE THEATER MIRROR, New England's LIVE Theater Guide
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The Gamm's first show of their 22nd season is "Mother Courage and Her Children" by German playwright Bertolt Brecht. Written in 1941, this David Hare translation contains lessons conveyed through a mix of drama, music and gallows humor which make it all-too-relevant today. The show is set in Eastern Europe in the seventeenth century. The Thirty Years War has been raging across nations, engulfing the landscape, reducing once dignified human beings to fight for survival. In the midst of this conflagration moves a little wagon, following armies, a footnote in the saga of war. And pulling the cart is Mother Courage, Brecht's incisive portrait of resilience and sacrifice that came to summarize the brutality of this age. Mother Courage loses loved ones and witnesses the depravity of commerce in an age of slaughter but never from a position of judgement. She is a profiteer and her survival is the triumph of pragmatism and dogged perseverance. The play shows the dreadfulness of war and the idea that virtues are not rewarded in corrupt times as seen through Mother Courage's three children. This topnotch production is directed by Tony Estrella and is an epic vaudevillian anti-war tragic-musical comedy. Mother Courage profits from the war while the same war is killing her children. Tony mixes the comic and tragic elements perfectly with original musical interludes and powerful monologues, capturing the essence of this show with his fantastic cast and earning them a well deserved standing ovation at its conclusion. Bravo.
Tony not only casts this show wonderfully but his blocking and attention to every detail of this production is of the highest quality. A projection screen behind the performers tells what all 12 scenes of the show are about as well as their what country they are in, too. The balancing of the irony and pathos comes out splendidly not only in the dialogue but in the original music composed for this production by Charles Cofone while using Brecht's lyrics. Three of the best numbers are "Each Night in May", "The Sellout Song" and "You're Better Without". Playing the leading role of Mother Courage is Wendy Overly. She commands the stage in every scene she appears in with all her lines and especially her many monolgues. Wendy plays this woman who is a parasite of the war with a strong presence and acting ability. As Mother Courage, she is the only one of her family to survive this war and at the end of the show, she continues to pull her cart, condemned to continue to labor for eternity. Wendy's rendition of "The Sellout Song" will knock your socks off. Her interactions with the whole cast are splendid and her performance captures the audience with its power.
Mother Courage's three children are played by wonderful performers, too. Casey Seymour Kim plays Kattrin, the dumb daughter who can't speak. Kattrin wears the traumas of war on her body when the war robs her of her voice as a child and later on she becomes disfigured during it. She ultimately will speak by saving the children of Halle by beating a drum, sacrificing herself for them. Casey doesn't say a word in this show but her strong acting talents shine through in every scene she is in. Steve Kidd is a powehouse as Eilif, the first child Mother Courage loses to the army. Eilif is warlike and rises in rank like Caesar. Steve captures the barbaric quality of this character wonderfully. Her third child, Swiss Cheese is well played by Ben Johnson. He captures the childlike, nobility of this character who because of his excessive sense of duty and honesty, ultimately dies because of it.
The Cook is played by Jim O'Brien who sings the lead in "You're Better Without", a vaudeville song with male cast members, running in and out of doors on the set and up and down the stairs, to make this a show stopping number. Jim as the Cook is an aging Don Juan who wants to win the affections of Mother Courage. He plays this funny character very well as does Chris Byrnes as the Chaplain. He also is interested in Mother Courage and hides that he is a chaplain for many years by helping her sell her wares during the war. Rae Mancini as Yvette, the prostitute steals many scenes especially her first one, where she sings of bedding the army in "Each Night in May". She is a hoot as this slutty character who makes her fortune in the show through the war by marrying and inheriting the estate of a lecherous old Colonel. (Sam Babbitt is hilarious as this deaf and lecherous old man.) Tom Gleadow who plays various roles in the show uses his powerful singing voice to lead many of the chorus numbers. Kudos to the rest of this hardworking cast and crew for a job well done. So for an excellent rendition of "Mother Courage and her Children, a powerful play, be sure to catch this gem at Gamm before time runs out.