The Strollers Theater presents “Mother Courage and her Children,” a poignant reminder that amidst never-ending wars there are innocent human beings who are affected and must do what they can to get by.
The play, written by Bertolt Brecht, was originally produced in 1941 and published in 1949 under the German title “Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder: Eine Chronik aus dem Dreissigjährigen Krieg.” Brecht was a marxist writer who spent most of his life in exile from Nazi Germany, anti-Marxist Switzerland, a United States that grilled him before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee and then from a broken Germany. His hope for this play was to bring an understanding of the complicity in two world wars to his fellow Germans, according to the playbill.
The play is set during the 30 years war (1618-1648) but beside our knowledge of the locations, dates, flags that represent Catholics and Protestants and the events unfolding around the characters the visuals feel as if they are set in a WWII and post-WWII modern war era.
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The multi-media exploration aspect involved a screen on set behind the actors. The play opens with a short video outlining the United States’ involvements in wars with images and narrations. Throughout the show, this screen shows powerful images of major global conflicts starting with Nazi Germany, the Vietnam War, the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel and Gaza. This screen also depicts several movements in the U.S. like the civil rights movement, gay liberation, Black Lives Matter and MeToo. To me, what these images did was remind us that what was going on in the play could happen anywhere in the world in any war and major conflict.
The story revolves around a woman nicknamed Mother Courage, played by Stephanie Monday, who depends on war for her personal survival. We learn quickly that she’s in business, buying, selling and trading from a cart. She moves around with her three children, all of whom will die as a result of the war, as we learn early on.
Monday delivered a touching yet inspiring performance, commanding the stage as the powerful matriarchal figure. She embodies the strength of a mother, but also a woman who is just trying to survive. Monday skillfully chose moments where we see the effects of war and of death get to her.
She’s an independent woman who doesn’t rely on anyone but herself, let alone a man. Her character is juxtaposed wonderfully with Yvette Poitier, played by Kendra James, a heartbroken woman who seeks out men, specifically soldiers and uses them for their money. James delivered a heart-rending performance, which reminds us of how although women didn’t fight in wars they have always felt the effects of violence through sexual abuse and abandonment.
The Chaplain, played by Joel Davidson, and The Cook, played by Patrick O’Hara, both made wonderful companions to Mother Courage throughout the play, balancing her strength and never overpowering her character.
The most poignant character was Kattrin, played by Abigail Hindle, Mother Courage’s mute daughter who accompanies her the whole play. Despite never saying a word, Hindle captured the fear of being a woman with a disability in a war from the beginning through sounds, expressions and body language. Her scenes are heartbreaking and capture the feeling of seeing atrocities occur around you and not being able to speak up, something many can relate to, especially nowadays when we see war unfold through our phone screens.
This play is a wonderful example of using art as activism, relating what’s on stage and in the script to what’s going on around not only the United States, but the world.
It also brings to light the complicity of the U.S. in so many global conflicts and reminds us that amidst wars there are people who will die and only those in power will benefit. A quote from Mother Courage that encapsulates this is — “There’s very little difference between victory and defeat for those at the bottom.”
The play runs Feb. 9 to 24 at the The Bartell Theatre, which offers an intimate setting making the audience feel even more connected to the characters.
