Runs to Saturday. BEHIND every good man there's a . . . mother.

And in Brecht's play, the mother in question is not only behind her son, but finds herself, as a result, sucked in to the fight for freedom for the workers in pre-revolution Russia.

The mother appears physically frail. She is a brow beaten woman who accepts life is as it is . . . and there is nothing to be done about it.

She represents the masses -- the silent majority, for whom revolution is unthinkable. Or is it?

The figure of The Mother is used by Brecht as a symbol. To protect her son she unwittingly takes part in activities to help the young revolutionaries. Before long, she is a figurehead of the political movement -- this woman who appears the most un-political of figures.

You know what you are going to get from Brecht. This production is translated by Steve Trafford. And while light entertainment it will never be, he has turned it into an easily understandable, accessible piece, the actors even employing cockney or Northern accents.

The music by Hanns Eisler is sharp and begins without notice.

Seven actors share the parts and each puts in a strong performance. The main role of The Mother is taken initially by Gillian Wright, and then, without warning by Elizabeth Mansfield. Both are outstanding. Wright brings a greater vulnerability to the role, while Mansfield's Mother shows more spirit.

Fraser Cains is also worthy of mention with his wonderfully comic portrayal of the teacher, Nicholai Ivanovitsch Vesovchikov.

The setting, is as it should be, sparse, and there is a great and appropriate simplicity about this whole production. Beverly Greenberg