Mother Courage and Her Children

A Red Ladder Theatre Company production supported by Leeds Playhouse

Peace is bad for business.

The ‘Thirty Years War’ rages on. Whether flogging leather belts, greasy pots, bullets or her children’s lives – life for Mother Courage is reduced to a series of transactions, and escape routes.

Bertolt Brecht’s timeless and epic drama about the turmoil and trauma of conflict is vividly depicted through Lee Hall’s dark and witty translation.

In this wholly immersive production audiences follow in the steps of Brecht’s fearless matriarch, as Mother Courage hauls her tinkering wagon of junk through crackling battlefields and bombed-out villages – echoing the modern-day refugee’s universal displacement.

Starring Pauline McLynn (Father Ted / Shameless / EastEnders) in this iconic title role, Mother Courage and Her Children will mark Red Ladder’s 50th anniversary; over five decades of presenting stories of human struggle and resounding spirit in times of stark adversity.

“Shockingly contemporary” ***** The Observer

“A true ensemble piece” **** The Sunday Times

“Outstanding” **** Yorkshire Post

“Pauline McLynn’s Mother Courage is stiffened by the harshness of her environment, a tough-skinned survivor who has forgotten tenderness. If her face quivers with emotion, it’s only momentary, quickly replaced with the brash charm of the eternal haggler. She’s a formidable presence…”             The Guardian

“McLynn squeezes every ounce of malice, pain and pathos from Lee Hall’s witty translation”          ***** North West End

“A truly remarkable performance from Pauline McLynn”  Culture Vulture

“Darkly funny and fizzing with pointed one-liners… I was laughing aloud while bubbling with anger at the horrors of war.” On Magazine

“Outstanding” Leeds Living

“The acting has to be exceptional- director Rod Dixon has helped his cast achieve that”                 ***** Northern Soul

***** The Reviews Hub