 The Cantata for Acquiescence is
one of Brecht’s early Lehrstuke or
learning plays. These were
pieces that were intended to tour
round factories and schools in
order to provoke political debate
among the workers. As a result,
they can often appear out of place
on the modern stage. But
in this new production from the
American company CalArts Festival
Theatre, Brecht’s original
text is given an inventive reworking.
The
play doesn’t have a central narrative as such. Rather,
it consists of a series of sketches that explore
the nature of surrender. This is done through
a number of skits about the birth of aviation, and
one particularly memorable sequences in which a man
consents to having each of his limbs chopped
off by two people who claim to be simply trying to
help him.
The
ensemble of performers twist and
cartwheel their way through the show. It
is slickly performed even if at times their actions
seem to bear little direct relation to the text
upon which they are based. The
production never quite manages
to provide the basis for debate that Brecht might
have wished for, but it is an entertaining piece
of work nonetheless.
Chris Wilkinson
15 August 2006 |
