A powerful highlight of the 2026 International Fringe Encore Series, “and her Children” reimagines Bertolt Brecht’s classic “Mother Courage” within the context of modern American gun culture. Everyone: read the Classics.
Running from January 14th to February 13th at the SoHo Playhouse, this solo tour de force – written by Rosie Glen-Lambert and Hailey McAfee – replaces the 17th-century war profiteer with Anna Fierling, a polished yet embattled spokesperson for the NRA.
I’ve been to the SoHo Playhouse at times but it is rare to see any actor like Hailey McAfee, to have the audience wrapped around her finger for 85 minutes.
She told her story, made us laugh and caused us to be waiting to see what would happen to her.
That was pure theater magic; we were with her, feeling every emotion. There is no one living in our world, in any country, who hasn’t faced violence—at home, outside, or just by turning on a TV.
Personally, I was forced to change my name on social media after receiving phone calls and death threats just for discussing disarmament in the US or advocating for traffic safety in NYC (don’t speed up whatever you are driving: your car, motorcycle, bicycles, etc.).
Some of us tend toward a more conciliatory and flexible nature. It is 2026 – who still wants to fight, yell, and go to war?
I spoke with Rosie Glen-Lambert before the play and with some audience members after. Most of the audience had embraced the idea of “Why do we need guns?” or simply “Why start a fight anyway?” or “Why can’t we all get along?” Even if there were mixed reviews, the conversation was honest.
In reality, no one needs to fight about anything in today’s world: it is 2026.
After the play, we also talked about how Iranians are fighting decades of dictatorship. I have great faith in the younger generations. As we all know well, with few exceptions, our world leaders and politicians are failing us.
For the past 10 years, I’ve seen others encouraging everyone to talk to each other. Just the basics: “Hello, how are you? What do you think? I will see you again soon. Nice to get to know you better,” and so on. Most of us are trying to keep conversations real, instead of sharing posts and online publications that we all look at every day.
It has never been easier to manipulate everyone online and offline, brainwash individuals, and annihilate “critical thinking”.
Back to the play: inspired by the polarizing real-life town hall appearances following the Parkland shooting, the play thrusts its protagonist, the extraordinary and magnetic Hailey McAfee, into a surreal space where the audience serves as her conscience.
McAfee’s performance is nothing short of percussive, delivering a visceral interrogation of the human cost of defending the right to bear arms while simultaneously balancing the private realities of motherhood.
This adaptation strips the cast down to a single voice, intensifying the focus on Anna’s psychological unraveling as she asks whether she can keep both her job and her soul.
Marking the 2025 holiday season, we all heard King Charles addressing the world, politely asking us to ‘get to know your neighbors’ and encouraging us to be cordial, civil, and – most importantly – try to find ways to live side by side, respecting each other’s views, heritage, customs, and traditions.
Charles Darwin “On the Origin of Species:” “… from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.”
‘If we were all equal, there wouldn’tbe such a thing as beauty.’
With 8.2 billion human beings on this planet, we must find ways to cohabit and leave space for nature and animals. We need them to survive.
“and he Children” continues the vital conversation we are all having about living together. It is a haunting, essential piece of ‘fusion theatre’ that refuses to offer easy answers, choosing instead to leave the audience dwelling on the “divided nation” narrative.
SoHo Playhouse
(212) 691-1555
15 Vandam St, New York, NY 10013
Tickets: $45.50 including fees
https://www.sohoplayhouse.com/see-a-show/and-her-children
Run time: 75 minutes
Age: 8 years old and up.
#andherchildren #rosieglenlambert #haileymcafee #writer #writers #playwright #actor #actress #musician #violin #woman #women #bertoltbrecht #classic #classics #motherourage #nra #disarmament #fringeencoreseries #sohoplayhouse #nomorewars #lovepeacehappiness #superpopulation #climatechange #globalwarming #politics #politicians #worldleaders #newyorkcity #nyc #newyork #usa #america
