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The Good Soul of Szechuan – Bertolt Brecht’s timeless parable

Posted Friday 2nd October 2009by Nige Burton

How can you be good in a cruel and unforgiving world? This is the question posed by German playwright Bertolt Brecht in his stirring drama The Good Soul of Szechuan, which opens at the Library Theatre in Manchester on Friday 30th October and runs until Saturday 28th November.

The story opens with three gods, whose mission to see if there are any good people left on earth leads them to Shen Te, a warm-hearted prostitute who offers them shelter. With what they give her in thanks, Shen Te opens a tobacco shop.

However, this apparent upturn in her circumstances is not the straightforward route to a happier life that Shen Te hoped it would be. As everyone she meets begins to take advantage of her good nature, she finds herself in an urgent struggle to survive. The dilemmas and problems she faces are as relevant today as they were when the play was completed in 1943.

This production of the play is directed by Chris Honer, the Library Theatre’s Artistic Director, and features a talented and versatile cast. Poppy Miller, who starred as Terese in Goldplated, the acclaimed 2006 Channel 4 drama about the hedonistic goings-on amongst the Cheshire Set, heads the 14-strong cast as Shen Te. She will be seen later this year in the BBC1 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma. Natasha Bain, John Cummins, and Library Theatre regular Olwen May play the three Gods, while Kieran Hill plays Yang Sun, whose designs on Shen Te may or may not be entirely innocent.

Cornelius Macarthy plays Wang, the wise and helpful water-seller who narrates the play; Knutsford-born Josh Moran – whose parents had their first date at the Library Theatre in 1956 – plays the policeman and a priest; Susan Twist, a familiar face to many on the local theatre scene and on programmes such as Coronation Street, Doctors, Brookside, and The Royal, plays Mrs Shin.

The other members of the cast are Tarek Merchant, a musician who plays the piano, saxophone, violin, and flute; Pete Toon, who is general manager of Mikron Theatre, which tours the country by narrowboat; Salford-based James Foster, whose brother Steve is a former professional boxer, Anthony Hunt, Marva Alexander, and Julie Jupp. In addition, two schoolboys, Sol Hoffman (Huddersfield) and Samuel Lenthall (Bury) will be sharing the role of the child.

The production is accompanied by O Germany, Pale Mother!, a selection of short works by Brecht which examine the fears of ordinary people living under the Nazi regime; the works are performed by six members of the cast of The Good Soul of Szechuan, and directed by Katie Lewis, who is assistant director of The Good Soul of Szechuan. Performances take place on Tuesday 24, Thursday 26 and Friday 27 November at 6pm. Tickets are £3.50, or £2.50 for The Good Soul of Szechuan ticket holders.

Dates and Ticket Prices
Friday 30 October to Saturday 28 November, 7.30pm.
Matinees Saturdays 7th, 14th, 21th, and 28 November, 2.30pm; Thursdays 12th and 19th November, 2.30pm; Wednesday 25th November, 2pm. Pre-show talks will be held with director Chris Honer on Wednesday 18th November, 6.30pm and Saturday 28th November, 1.30pm.

Tickets: Monday evening £10 (£8 concessions); Tuesday/Wednesday evening and Thursday matinee £12.25 (£10.25 concessions); Thursday/Friday evening and Saturday matinee £15 (£13 concessions); Saturday evening £17.50. Group & party rates, and early-bird deals (Friday 30 October-Wednesday 4 November) are available.

Manchester Library Theatre