Mother Courage and Her Children NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (43)
See it if you can be disturbed by the chaos of war and upset by man's loss of humanity.This is a powerful production of a compelling play made current
Don't see it if you are disturbed by the ugliness of human nature and destruction.If you wish to be entertained in a fluffy and pretty way and to avoid life
See it if You're a fan of Brecht and Duncan Sheik (he did the new score).
Don't see it if You're looking for a light-and-fluffy comedy.
See it if you enjoy fantastic performances and a fresh take on a classic play (with new music by Duncan Sheik).
Don't see it if you're easily confused. I found parts of it hard to follow, but the story is still strong and riveting.
See it if You like new takes on classic plays with fantastic acting from the star.
Don't see it if You don't like experimental takes.
See it if You want to see young talent in an epic classic
Don't see it if If you don't like long serious performances
See it if you like Brecht or you want to see an excellent lead performance from Kecia Lewis, and a lot of strong singing from multiple cast members.
Don't see it if you don't like Brecht or you will be bothered by an occasionally hard to follow narrative, due mainly to extensive cutting, I think.
See it if ...you like riveting, challenging theater. I saw it with Tonya Pinkins & I didn't understand her objections. I hear Kecia Lewis is superb!
Don't see it if ....you hate Brecht or want something mindless and easy to watch.
See it if 08/09/2006. A date written on my heart. My 1st or 2nd time seeing Meryl Streep on stage in an unforgettable role. Brilliant performance.
Don't see it if Outdoor theater means the audience is continually under threat from bugs & possible rain (plus Wind). Say prayers or light candles b4 ticket Read more
Critic Reviews (14)
"Ms. Lewis’s commanding performance would be impressive under any circumstances, but the drama surrounding her undertaking the part makes the achievement all the more remarkable...Mr. Kulick’s searing production sets the play in the 1990s in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo. It is an inspired idea."
Read more
"It is weirdly enervated and unambitious, achieving the coolness and flatness and lack of surprise that Brecht calls for but not, except at a few points, the lively horror to counter it...The staging is muddy. And while it is unreasonable to judge Kecia Lewis after just a handful of performances — she’s still learning the blocking and occasionally calling for lines — there’s no getting around the fact that, with one exception, the rest of the cast is hardly more comfortable with the material."
Read more
"Still calling for line cues and sometimes reading from the script at a critics’ performance, Lewis nevertheless was mesmerizing as a woman addicted to survival yet able to reveal a beating heart at moments that make Brecht’s text less didactic than it often is thought to be...Duncan Sheik has written some sinuously beautiful music for the songs Brecht wrote for the play...Kulick’s conception is sound and the cast surrounding Lewis is impeccable."
Read more
"Kecia Lewis is a brave actress. Whether she’s a good one or not is unclear from 'Mother Courage and Her Children.' It’s impossible to tell since Lewis is clearly still finding her way in the role...Lewis has an intense gaze she uses well, but seeing a script with highlighted lines will take you out of a performance. And at this point her 'Mother Courage' was mostly about decibel level; adding volume doesn’t add dimension."
Read more
"The contemporized setting is intriguing. But on the whole, the production is undeveloped and unfocused. The musical interludes, which use prerecorded pop music by Duncan Sheik, are out of synch with Brecht’s lyrics and come off as baffling. Lewis, who was still holding a script and calling out for lines at my performance, is still finding her way in the role, but she has moments of great authority. In any case, Lewis deserves credit for stepping in on short notice."
Read more
"Lewis provides the production with its singular bright spot...Here's the thing: It doesn't matter. Kulick has so wildly misconceived everything that Lewis's participation, valiant though it may be, is functionally meaningless...It's a Cliffs Notes, third-hand retelling of a plot synopsis of it that's playing dress-up as either Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prizewinning 'Ruined' or Danai Gurira's soon-to-hit-Broadway 'Eclipsed.''
Read more
"Kecia Lewis is not yet in command of all her lines; but she is offering a resolute sketch of the formidable 'Mother Courage' she's capable of creating...Kulick's version achieves a unity of style and purpose among its actors, and that's the chief virtue of what's on view at CSC...Kulick's production has an alienating effect that Brecht couldn't foresee: a leading performer forced by circumstances to rely on a script and call out for prompts."
Read more
"Despite all other elements of the play being fundamentally African, the songs sound like a mix of light country, new age and Broadway light. They are so glaringly out of place as to make one wonder if one has dozed off and awoken in a different theater...Ultimately, nothing could rescue the stilted course of this 'Mother Courage' production. And that’s a shame...A turbulent production that still hasn’t quite made up its mind."
Read more