Review: Man Is Man
David Porter'Tonight you are going to see a man reassembled like a car; leaving all his individual components just as they are...' No surprises with Brecht. The message is always spelled out.David Porter
Norwich Playhouse
'Tonight you are going to see a man reassembled like a car; leaving all his individual components just as they are...'
No surprises with Brecht. The message is always spelled out.
You may also want to watch:
This is the tale of a simple worker bribed with beer and cigars to take another drunkard's place in a machine-gun troop and is deliber-ately turned into a happy killer.
It's also about knowing your identity. Against the backdrop of global conflicts today, it's relevant and timely.
Most Read
- 1 Norwich hairdresser, former boxer and bodybuilder, dies from Covid
- 2 Up and coming Norwich musician reaches number 13 in UK charts
- 3 The secrets and scandals of a former Norwich hotel
- 4 Drink driver arrested after crashing into two trees in Norwich
- 5 Norwich Debenhams looks doomed as Boohoo to buy brand
- 6 'A little bit of hope' - Care home manager look back on last 10 months
- 7 Can you rehome this Terrier who has spent nine years at animal sanctuary?
- 8 Centre takes action after IT failure causes long queues for Covid jab
- 9 Drink-driver caught on flyover after police spot 'worrying' driving
- 10 Road in Norwich to close for four weeks for £50,000 improvement scheme
The young all-female cast (another neatly Brechtian angle) tackle it with gusto and obvious relish, demonstrat-ing the characters as Brecht demanded.
Theatre Paradisum are building a credible Brechtian expertise and this early but substantial piece from the master's extensive catalogue is a quality work.
Ashley Booth plays the central role of the naive porter who is tricked and bullied into a new identity, and she carries it with a keen sense of humour and self-parody within the central idea. She is well supported by Henri Merriam, Maria Kivinen and Louise Humphrey as the gunners. The pianist is terrific.
Lucy Enskat is powerful as the canteen proprietess, an early version of Mother Courage. Director Peter Beck's passion for Brechtian theory is put into excellent practice, in a lengthy, but rewarding, challenging evening.
t Man Is Man continues at Norwich Playhouse until January 23.