By Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill
In collaboration with Elisabeth Hauptmann
Based on the book THE BEGGAR’S OPERA by John Gay, translated by Elisabeth Hauptmann
English translation by Simon Stephens
Directed by Jamie Anderson
Musical Direction by Terry LaBolt
Choreographed by DJ Gray
Polly tries to save him. Jenny tries to stop him. Macheath’s on the move. In 1928, after an intense study of Marx, Brecht and long-time collaborator Elisabeth Hauptmann pen Brecht’s first ‘play with music’ about a gang of thieves and grifters who “can’t have ethics that they can’t afford”. The Threepenny Opera is a biting satire on the post-war rise of capitalism. Based on John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera, this darkly comic translation by Simon Stephens pits Macheath against “King of the Beggars” Peachum and the law. Propelled by Kurt Weill’s extraordinary score, Brecht’s story and theories merge in a pageant of cynicism and truth through tuneful music including standards like “Pirate Jenny” and “The Ballad of Mack the Knife.”
This play contains depictions of physical and sexual violence, use of stage blood, graphic language, use of slurs, sexually explicit content, implied drug use, gunshots, and moments of intimacy.
Running Time: -
The College of Arts