IN today's world of cynics and spin doctors, Bertolt Brecht's The Mother is a reminder of times when politics was a game of life and death.

With a General Election on the horizon, the state of politics was but one factor that encouraged Visiting Moon and Theatre By the Lake to mount a revival, in a new adaptation by Steve Trafford, that tours York Theatre Royal from Thursday to next Saturday.

This year also happens to be the 70th anniversary of Brecht writing The Mother and the 50th anniversary of Brecht's own production for the Berliner Ensemble after his return from exile in 1951.

The Visiting Moon company was formed two years ago by artistic director Annie Castledine, a former University of York student who directed Loot and The Unexpected Guest at York Theatre Royal in 1979-80, and actress Elizabeth Mansfield, who brought Marie, her one-woman show about music-hall star Marie Lloyd, to Harrogate Theatre last year.

Elizabeth says: "When Annie and myself set up the company, we decided we wanted to do The Mother as we'd always loved the play and felt this was a very good time to do it. Now, Steve, who is my partner, has written a new version of the play."

The Mother, for those not up to speed on their Brecht, follows the journey of Pelegea Vlassova, a worker's widow and worker's mother, from apolitical sceptic to self-confessed Bolshevik in the years before the 1917 Russian Revolution. When her son is imprisoned, she becomes the mother to the revolution, epitomising heroic working-class womanhood.

"As well as being a strongly political, Marxist piece about Pelegea's change to empowerment, there's also a strong heart to the story," says Elizabeth.

"Above all, what we've discovered with this production is that it's still a controversial play. Some people think it's a museum piece - where it was once revolutionary - because Communism is now considered dead.

"Others see it as a play about empowerment, where people take matters into their own hands, and that message is valid for any time, especially in this age of spin."

Most reviews so far have praised the production, including the decision to split the role of Pelegea between Gillian Wright in her pre-revolutionary days and Elizabeth Mansfield from her moment of enlightenment and political birth.

One notice, however, called The Mother "grim and depressing". Not surprisingly, Elizabeth does not share that view. "That review sparked off a debate in the local paper with people writing in to say the reviewer's opinion was rubbish! They said they found the play uplifting and I agree with them," she says.

The Mother, presented by Visiting Moon and Theatre by the Lake, York Theatre Royal, May 3 to 5 at 7.30pm. Tickets: £7 to £14.25 with concessions available; ring 01904 623568.