THEATRE

Fort Point Theatre Channel presents The Good Person of Setzuan written by Bertolt Brecht and adapted by Tony Kushner. Directed by Christie Lee Gibson, designed by Anne Loyer, with music composed and directed by Nick Thorkelson. Held at 10 Channel Center Street, Fort Point, Boston, MA 02210. Bertolt Brecht and Tony Kushner are among the most entertaining and provocative playwrights in the history of theater. Put them together for The Good Person of Setzuan and the result is an exhilarating parable of love and money, written by Brecht when fascism was rising in Europe and grounded by Kushner in the social and economic realities and relations of our own time. Fort Point Theatre Channel (FPTC) core member Christie Lee Gibson who directs The Good Person of Setzuan is an opera singer, actress, and creator/producer/director/coach of musical-theatrical happenings. She points to the great story that Brecht and Kushner tell. “With its wealth of colorful characters,” says Gibson, “the play is both funny and heartbreaking.” “Brecht's humor engages us,” says Gibson, “even as he tells an earth-shattering story about the impossibility of being good in the world.” As the tale begins, a motley crew of three gods arrives in Setzuan. They are searching for one good person who will be revealed simply by offering them a bed for the night. But everyone fears a visit from the gods — except for the prostitute Shen Te. She takes them in, and they reward her handsomely so she can do good for all who need her help. Soon, though, Shen Te is up against a dilemma: more help is needed than she can possibly give. With new music composed for this production, she sings to the gods “To be good and to live / Split me, like lightning, in two.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNLrbzGnrWo