Brecht: Mother Courage and her Children (Plays in Production) [Paperback]

Peter Thomson (Author), Viv Gardner (Contributor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521597749 | ISBN-13: 978-0521597746 | Publication Date: January 13, 1998

This is the first comprehensive study in English of Brecht's Mother Courage in production. Peter Thomson provides a detailed account of Brecht's own production in 1949 and then explores how the play has been transmitted--from Joan Littlewood's production in 1956 to the Royal National Theatre in 1995. The book also examines interpretations by Judi Dench, Glenda Jackson, and Richard Schechner, among others. Seminal productions from the continent are also analyzed and a final chapter examines the play's influence on among others, Peter Brook, and highlights the new urgency of the text in light of the wars in former Yugoslavia and Uganda.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Thomson surveys a wide range of productions--German, US, Swiss, French, Austrian, British, and one Ugandan--combining critical acumen with a sharp eye for detail and a wealth of information....Highly recommended for theater and literature collections in academic libraries." M.C. Riggio, Choice

"Thomson's book will...rapidly become a standard reference, especially for directors and dramaturges with the ambition and fortitude to tackle this demanding and rewarding classic." Richard J. Rundell, Monatshefte

Book Description

This is the first comprehensive study in English of Brecht's Mother Courage in production. Peter Thomson provides a detailed account of Brecht's own production in 1949 and then explores how the play has been transmitted from Joan Littlewood's production in 1956 to the Royal National Theatre in 1995. The book also examines interpretations by Judi Dench, Glenda Jackson, and Richard Schechner. Additional seminal productions from the continent are also analysed and a final chapter examines the plays influence on, amongst others, Peter Brook and highlights the new urgency of the text in light of the wars in former Yugoslavia and Uganda.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (January 13, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521597749
• ISBN-13: 978-0521597746
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,882,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brecht's Alienation, August 3, 2000

By 

Jhiedon L. Florentino - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brecht: Mother Courage and her Children (Plays in Production) (Paperback)

The book is a good guide on tracing the evolution of the notion of alienation in theater. A different route from the naturalistic theater tradition, alienation aims at "extracting" emotions in theater and sticking with the message and aim of a play. Peter Thompson's work indirectly traces the idea of showing that acting is just plain "acting". He does this by reviewing the various experiences of staging Brecht's classic "Mother Courage and Her Children". For actors dreaming to just plainly "act" in theater (acting a character and not being a character), the good is a good guide. For those dreaming to be the mother in Mother Courage and The Mother, Shente in The Good Person of Setzuan, and St. Joan in St. Joan of the Stockyards--learn from this book.