Bertolt Brecht's
'Mother Courage and Her Children'
'Mother Courage and Her Children'
Saturday evening 25th May at the Playhouse at QPAC I was honoured to see a huge and brilliant performance of the German play reworked, rewritten and restaged for an all indigenous cast and set in a Queensland of war torn devastation controlled by mining. Artistic Director of The Queensland Theater Company and Director of this play also translated and adapted this along with Paula Nazarski. The set was vast and one could see the full extent of the stage, occasionally sectioned off by curtains of corrugated iron descending from above. There was also a complete view into the wings that gave the feeling of the expansive outback of Australia, the loneliness and the diminished size of people set against troubled times. It was huge. Interspersed with musical numbers and set around the wagon (an old motorless ute)drawn about the stage by the actors, the characters lived and died, struggled and came and went with the effects of a dehumanising war from which the strong and adaptable Mother Courage managed to manipulate the attempted survival of herself and her children.
The cast was led by the truly awesome Ursula Yovich as Mother Courage. Her presence was captivating, acting spellbinding and her voice is stunning. She was described by the Australian as a powerhouse Mother Courage. Others have reviewed her performance as absolutely Mind-Blowing and her voice exquisite. I just ordered her CD 'Ursula Yovich Live'
As the Chaplain we were also blessed to have the multi award winning composer, singer and co founder of The Bangarra Dance Theatre the wonderful David Page (left above). His cheeky character and beautiful voice was also a joy of the night. I took a particular shine to the endearing Swiss Cheese played by Eliah Watego. The gentle, innocent and simple son of Mother courage was a stark contrast to the evils that beset him. I was distraught when he died at the end of Act one, but relieved to see the actor return as another character soon after interval. All the cast were impressive and for a long night they held me captive:- Mark, Atkins, George Bostock, Luke Carroll, Ghenoa Deemal, Dave Dow, Roxanne Mc Donald, Paula Nazarski, Robert Preston and Michael Tuahine.
The cast in costume on the wagon outside the theatre.
Check this link to see and hear Ursula singing on ABC
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The cast in costume on the wagon outside the theatre.
Our treasure Wesley Enoch and the fabulous Ursula Yovich
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I have a copy of the beautiful CD 'Ursula Yovich Live'
