The Good Person of Sichuan

A Mercury Theatre Made in Colchester Production.

It’s hard to be good when you’re broke. Harder still if you’re living in a broken world. Bertolt Brecht’s classic tale of one woman’s struggle to stay true to her heart in the face of a society in economic melt-down, is a parable for all times.

With music from Tony Award-nominated composer Grant Olding Brecht’s story begins when a group of Gods on a fact-finding mission reward the only good person they can find in Sichuan province, Shen Te, with the means to start a little business. However, it doesn’t take long for her to realise that this newfound financial stability won’t last if people keep taking advantage of her generous nature. That is until the mysterious arrival of her ruthless ‘cousin’, Shui Ta, who’s happy to do whatever it takes to protect young Shen Te’s interests. But how long can this fragile double act last when Shen Te is falling in love and Shui Ta is getting fat on the proceeds of other people’s hardship?

Brecht’s 1943 masterpiece is brilliantly retold in this funny, thought-provoking, accessible translation by poet Michael Hofmann, and brought bang up to date here by critically-acclaimed director Nikolai Foster.