Mother Courage Bear and Her Children

One of the best of the Fringe!

Witty, funny, creative, different - everything you expect when you see a show at the Fringe. Clever mixture of Brecht's play depicting war and despair and the lives of Care Bears. Strong cast and good use of the character "The Director", although at times he was hard to understand or hear. Great acting, directing and script. Well worth seeing.

Clevername is the Company Name

Like the quote from a quote from The Office: "'You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.' - Wayne Gretzky” - Michael Scott." but pretend Brecht said the quote, and it was made silly. One star added because, it's a marketable idea for fringe (rewriting... or substituting a script that already would appeal to people, even without a gimmick). It's hard to think of this as a literary adaptation, when it's just making a historical script quirky.

Goofy and confusing

I was unfamiliar with the original work and was confused throughout most of the performance even with a narrator and a glossary of key terms/ideas. I read the Wikipedia article on Mother Courage after the show and what the show is doing made a lot more sense and found the concept hilarious. If you are also unfamiliar with the original mother courage, I recommend googling a synopsis before seeing this show. I'm also not very familiar with care bears so maybe that knowledge would help too? I had many moments of being delightfully confused mixed in with simple bewilderment.

Well done, but for a limited audience

I feel like this type of humor is for a somewhat limited audience. I definitely appreciated the amazing acting and writing, and I laughed at parts, but also, this sort of existential humor isn't really my favorite, so keep that in mind when deciding to go!

A Very Clever Mash-Up

This is the kind of show you hope to come across at MN Fringe Festival. Take two entirely diametric worlds, mesh them together, and follow-through until the end of the show. I haven't read "Mother Courage" since college, and the Care Bears were created after my childhood was over, but I understood and followed every last thing in this show, and it made me laugh wholeheartedly. This show really worked for me. All of the actors were great, but hats off to the actor playing the most bears; Murder Bear, Prostitute Bear, Recruitment Bear, etc.; really marvelous. That being said, my favorite bear was Sandwich Bear. While I enjoyed the Director/Brecht character, I did have a very hard time hearing him when he wasn't shouting. I was only in the fourth row, and I couldn't make out what he was saying when he was mumbling/talking low, which was most of the time. The pathos of "Mother Courage" set in the world of Care Bears, what more could you want!

A Courageous Effort

Having thoroughly enjoyed last year's production by this collective, I was looking forward to what they had to offer this year. Even though I'm up on my Brecht and Mother Courage, I'm not up on my Care Bears knowledge and despite the helpful program guide, the references had me a bit lost. For some reason, the cuteness did not resonate as well with me, as MC's undertones of war and cruelty combined with the effervescence of the Care Bears didn't always line up smoothly. The performers, however, did a wonderful job with the material and characterizations, especially Sandwich Bear and Humanity Bear. The sound effects and music were way too loud and sometimes drowned out the actors but that's been par for the course with Southern's offerings at this Fringe.

A Courageous Effort

Having thoroughly enjoyed last year's production by this collective, I was looking forward to what they had to offer this year. Even though I'm up on my Brecht and Mother Courage, I'm not up on my Care Bears knowledge and despite the helpful program guide, the references had me a bit lost. For some reason, the cuteness did not resonate as well with me, as MC's undertones of war and cruelty combined with the effervescence of the Care Bears didn't always line up smoothly. The performers, however, did a wonderful job with the material and characterizations, especially Sandwich Bear and Humanity Bear. The sound effects and music were way too loud and sometimes drowned out the actors but that's been par for the course with Southern's offerings at this Fringe.

Genuine and Absurd All At Once

Maybe this is odd, but I felt that I’d actually seen Mother Courage. In an absurd context, yes, but the characters took themselves and their situation seriously, regardless of fluffy guts and magic Care Bear tummies. And there were plenty of laughs in the genuinely clever script, though I still felt the menace and danger of Mother Courage. See it! 4 kitties because some of the actors were hard to hear.

🐻 🌈 💜

I think Clevername Theater are the smartest people making theater in the Twin Cities. They excel at silly gags in cerebral shows. Connecting Brecht and the Care Bears around the use of allegory was brilliant. I’m not sure I quite got the Internet part.

i had fun

i’m not familiar with mother courage, but i sorta remember the care bears, and this is a completely different way of meeting them. silly, condemns capitalism, all things i like!

Be prepared to have your childhood ruined

As an avid Care Bears viewer as a child, the play took advantage of those fond childhood memories and destroyed them one cloud of cotton stuffing at a time (to great comedic effect.) The well-rounded cast all committed to the absurdity which made for a worthy Sunday evening experience.

You will argue about Brecht after this show.

So please, make sure your relationships are in a solid place :-D. That said, I LOVED the show. I thought it was funny and thoughtful and smart, and I'm really impressed by how grounded the actors remained even when the words got silly.

A bit confusing

First off, the actors really make the piece. Truly, I was surprised how much I liked them, and I think Clevername managed to find some of the best comedic actors for this show (in particular, I loved Hubris & Sandwich Bear). However, I struggled with the actual writing of the show. I was confused with what the allegories/parallels were being drawn, as it just felt like the writer didn't really care for Brecht's original Mother Courage. What was a story about profiting off the war & how it's just as bad as being IN the war turned into...maybe something about social media? I wasn't quite clear on what they were trying to say with it (which I think is a mistake, considering the original piece is inherently tied to politics). The writing threw me, and I was incredibly confused as to what meant what. Despite the confusing writing, I thought the direction and actors did the absolute best they could with it. I did find myself laughing a few times, and appreciated clever staging to depict deaths. I'd go to support those elements, just try not to think too much about what the writing/new Care Bear elements mean.

A bit confusing

First off, the actors really make the piece. Truly, I was surprised how much I liked them, and I think Clevername managed to find some of the best comedic actors for this show (in particular, I loved Hubris & Sandwich Bear). However, I struggled with the actual writing of the show. I was confused with what the allegories/parallels were being drawn, as it just felt like the writer didn't really care for Brecht's original Mother Courage. What was a story about profiting off the war & how it's just as bad as being IN the war turned into...maybe something about social media? I wasn't quite clear on what they were trying to say with it (which I think is a mistake, considering the original piece is inherently tied to politics). The writing threw me, and I was incredibly confused as to what meant what. Despite the confusing writing, I thought the direction and actors did the absolute best they could with it. I did find myself laughing a few times, and appreciated clever staging to depict deaths. I'd go to support those elements, just try not to think too much about what the writing/new Care Bear elements mean.

A Must-See Fringe Show!

Each and every member of the cast stood out in their performance. This was a successful ensemble for a mash up I never thought I'd see or hear about ever. And yet, here we are! Welcome to Fringe! As much as every actor did their job, I must commend Connor McEvoy for his work in this performance. Connor portrayed The Director impeccably with a "Werner Herzog" flair that immediately pulled big laughs from the crowd. Aside from the initial laughter, we also felt his gravitas, his power, which left an impression on the audience, even when we were transported to an entirely different time and place. Although clearly separated, his part in this whole ordeal didn’t feel random, and his aura was sustained throughout the performance merely through his presence alone. That speaks volumes to his efforts as an actor. And, as a performer always should, he left me wanting more. Incredible, and the best showcase of a character I have seen so far at the Fringe festival. This also showcases the efforts and talents of the director, Alexander Gerchak. Congratulations to the Clevername crew for another must-see Fringe show!

Funny

The German bit throughout the play is so funny. Wow the Care Bears.. so inventive. Brings back memories Very entertaining 👏🏻

SO FUNNY! SO CLEVER!

Truly incredible! Maybe best adaption of Brecht I’ve ever seen. Don’t miss this one.

Bear-tolt Brecht (ha ha)

I remember reading Mother Courage in theater school, but I've never seen it staged until now, and this is probably the best way to be introduced to it. Connor McEvoy as The Director is great - just punishing the audience for paying to see the show, but also playing "Brecht" sincerely, as someone who is profoundly disappointed by the world and desperately wants to shake the audience awake. The whole show is played this way - yes, making them Care Bears is extremely dumb and silly and fun, but the show is played straight as the demoralizing tragedy it is. It never felt like it was making fun of the play it's based on. Especially because they've found new relevance in showing Mother Courage's wares as performative care, something we're all like swimming in. I thought the show's depictions of death and viscera were pretty upsetting in their implications, even while couched in something cutesy and silly. This is a very weird show tonally and I really liked it

Epic story, very Brecht, FLUFFY

Taking the drama of this Brecht classic and turning it into a comedy is no easy feat, but this cast not only succeeds at being funny they retain the heart of this classic with their high skilled acting. So funny, so…bear, so worth your time and attention.