‘Brecht on Brecht’ Gives Rare Portrait

It may not have the impact of a full-fledged Bertolt Brecht play, but for fans of the pivotal German playwright/director/poet, the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble’s “Brecht on Brecht” offers rare insight into the man whose works unflinchingly tackled this century’s most deep-rooted and enduring social and political issues.

Compiled by George Tabori from Brecht’s writings, journals and public statements and supplemented with drawings, photos and recordings of Brecht’s voice, the quick segments are roughly grouped by prominent themes including theater, politics, Nazism and war, and exile.

Particularly intriguing are his reflections on America (after fleeing the Hitler regime, Brecht spent much of World War II in the United States), which range from cautionary critiques to grudging admiration (like his characterization of Los Angeles as “Tahiti in the form of a big city”).

OK, so he wasn’t the most cheerful theater guy around. But he was thoughtful, perceptive and provocative, as these quick-paced quotes--primarily recited by actors from manuscripts--effectively establish. Despite the constraints of overly rigorous intellectualism (Brecht banished cathartic emotion from his discipline of the theater), his courageous commitment to challenging our complacencies remains powerful to this day.

However, it’s in the fully staged excerpts from his works that the piece truly takes wing. The complete, one-act “Baden Teaching Play” is a plunge into the comically grotesque in which a gullible fellow (Jack Axelrod) systematically loses his oversized limbs to the sinister machinations of a pair of vaudevillian clowns (Maureen Teffy, Sheelagh Cullen). In a sparser but haunting segment, a confrontation between a Jewish wife (Erin Noble) preparing to flee Nazi persecution and her educated but smug husband (Robert Thaler) illuminates the compromises that allow horrific injustice to seep into society through the cracks in its moral foundation. Camille Saviola’s stunning vocal performance of “Solomon Song” and Teffy’s rendition of “Surabaya Johnny” ensure representation of Brecht’s synergistic collaboration with Kurt Weill.

Ron Sossi’s staging of these segments is so adept it’s almost counterproductive--it makes us hunger for a more complete theatrical experience that eludes this anthology, for all its insight and educational value.

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* “Brecht on Brecht,” Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; April 14 and 19, 7 p.m. Ends May 10. $18.50-$22.50. (310) 477-2055. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.