You
are immediately, visually, aurally embraced (confronted?) by the artistic and
dramaturgical vision driving the inspired, exhausting, and timely "Mother
Courage and Her Children" currently on show at Theatre Building Chicago. In the ante
space you see inspired boxes, collages and ephemera evoking a past time and no
time in particular, accompanied by the familiar yet distant music of World War
I. Once in the theatre, a larger version of this aesthetic (boxes, random
items, the musicians themselves) crafted by set designer Craig Choma fills the back wall and the
central prop and metaphor of the play, a cart selling whatever can be sold.
Brecht's vision, through David Hare's translation, surrounds you and carries
you for three hours.
This
play is turgid by design, yet it's the humor that surprises you as events and
speeches unfold. Our core image involves Mother Courage (Lori Myers), slogging through the wars and
her cart shop on wheels, making do however she can and struggling to keep her children
alive. The three children represent a range of characteristics, including human
responses to the oppression and confusions of war: Eilif (Jeremy Clark) is the older and most bellicose
who eventually embraces the soldier role; Swiss Cheese (Christopher Hibbard) was intentionally brought up
"simple" yet gets into trouble with his earnest honesty; and Kattrin
(Kelly Lynn Hogan)
is reduced to a state of mute stupefaction by events. Along the way the party
welcomes a Chaplain (Rom Barkhordar, delightfully and resonantly also cast in military
roles) and a Cook (Winston Evans), both of whom could have been romantic partners for
Mother Courage but she cleaves ever more tightly to what she knows - her
provision cart. We endure this production (in the most positive sense) as
Mother Courage and her children have endured their hardships, yoked to her
harness and her livelihood, off into her uncertain future.
Original
music by Gregor Mortis and Kevin O'Donnell run a range from broad burlesque to a touching torch song
stunningly presented by Anne Sheridan Smith as the prostitute Yvette. This
number, presented on a swing suspended from a 2nd story of the back wall,
called "The Power of Love", could be a show stopper.
Director
Elizabeth Carlin-Metz and costume designer Rachel M. Sypniewski have chosen to represent the
parade of soldiers as if from many countries, of many faiths including no
faith, and a number of historical war: Napoleonic, First World War, Second
World War, Desert Storm, and others, sometimes juxtaposed (as one point a
soldier wears an early 20th century trench coat atop Desert Storm khaki
camouflage). The Priest sings at one point: "War is like love - it finds a
way - why should it ever end?" Precisely.
Lighting
by Richard Norwood
is varied and intriguing, especially during scene changes evoking standard
changes, slide shows, strobe lighting and film strips, providing syncopated
rather than smoothly shifting scenes. Nothing in this experience is intended to
be smooth and easy.
The
production is visually, conceptually, musically, thematically, intentionally a
pastische of form. This is a stunning theatrical experience.