Mark Thomson's direction is fast-paced, the ensemble cast do a great job of playing a variety of caricatures, Amy Mason as Grusha is a great heroine (being both sensually diffident with her soldier-lover and compassionate as a protective mother), Sarah Swire rocks the score - although the rockier moments don't always do justice to the narrative.
There's a spot of scene-stealing towards the end when Christopher Fairbank plays the judge Adzak, and Brecht's 'fourth wall' breaking is in full effect. Plus the casting is gender blind, meaning that men play women (for laughs) and women play men (laughs again). It has a mix of poignancy and passion, moments of menace - when the nasty soldiers nearly catch Grusha - and plenty of social commentary. And thanks to Brecht's last lines, the message is not lost in the fun.
Yep, it's a triumph.
What is there that is more interesting to write about within the play than repeating the praise heaped upon this production?
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