19-05-2025
Mother Courage and Her Children review — intense and intimate Brecht
This new production of Bertolt Brecht's classic brings together disparate elements to create a wondrous feat of theatrical alchemy. The only marquee name among the credits is Lee Hall, the playwright and Billy Elliot screenwriter, here returning to his native northeast with a bespoke 90-minute version of Brecht's play. Ensemble '84, which forms the bulk of the 20-strong company, is made up of Co Durham residents, assembled after a county-wide casting call, who have been rehearsing together since October. Rounding out the collaboration is the Isango Ensemble, from Cape Town, which offers artistic opportunities to people from deprived backgrounds.
Hall has whittled Brecht's tale of a woman profiteering from the inflated market of a 17th-century European war down to its essence, and
