The Good Soul of Szechuan - TNT

Brecht's cynical 1943 portrayal of a corrupt society is given a complete visual makeover by director Richard Jones and designer Miriam Buether who have transformed the auditorium into a wood-panelled cement factory with characters emerging from steel locker doors. Workers, worn down by the deprivation and drudgery of impoverished lives, trudge bleakly across the dusty, glaringly lit stage. Into this less-than-welcome environment come three progressively bedraggled gods in search of goodness and a place to stay for the night. Both are in short supply until the prostitute Shen Te welcomes them into her home — though not until she's popped out to service one more client and earn enough to buy food. When the deities leave her sufficient cash to purchase a tobacco store, Shen Te is determined to do good, but in no time at all she's being seriously ripped off — until, that is, she invents a tough, capitalist male cousin Shui Ta who turfs out the freeloaders and starts turning a profit.
Jane Horrocks has sweetness as Shen Te and a steely determination as her tough alter ego, but Brecht's pessimistic message that altruism cannot survive without a self-serving counterpart — and that love often boils down to a fiscal transaction — is as uncomfortable as the discordant songs which punctuate the action.
Young Vic, The Cut, SE1 (020-7922 2922). Until June 21. Tickets £22.50, under 26s £10