Star rating **** The economics of war and its effect on the credit crunch, the black economy and the ongoing collapse of the family is more likely to feature in some special episode of Shameless than any contemporary state-of-the-nation stage epic. Thank goodness, then, for this timely reminder from Bertolt Brecht's 1941 play about how survival in capitalist extremes inevitably corrupts those at the bottom of the heap. Rarely mentioned, though, is the play's initial fatalistic thrust after Mother Courage, her sons Eilif and Swiss Cheese and her mute daughter Katrin's futures are sealed by the black cross of death scrawled on scraps of paper beside their cart.
Gerry Mulgrew's new production might not dwell on such karmic portents as he wheels his charges on a symbolic stage revolve through assorted battlefields, but such ingrained superstitions only add to the play's human heart. Not that Brecht's bigger points are ignored. It's just that, beyond the obligatory captions, here projected on to a cobalt steel backdrop, the politics translate as something real rather than some bludgeoned-home abstraction.
Leading the charge is a gimlet-eyed Ann Louise Ross as Mother Courage. Onstage for almost three hours, she gives a fiercely well-rounded and utterly unsentimental performance. Among a strikingly cast ensemble, Calum Cuthbertson's laconic Chaplain stands out, as does the promising professional debut of Gemma McElhinney, who invests the near silent Katrin with a plaintive but steely gaze.
John Harris's live score, performed by a multi-tasking three-piece, reignites the play's junkyard stylings as blaring modernist fanfares. The songs are sung with rough-shod gusto, suggesting that, beyond the last ceasefire, some kind of communal spirit prevails.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article