The Threepenny Opera

This article is about the 1928 play. For other uses, seeThreepenny Opera.

The Threepenny Opera(Die Dreigroschenoper[diːdʁaɪˈɡʁɔʃn̩ˌʔoːpɐ]) is a 1928 German "play with music" byBertolt Brecht,adapted from a translation byElisabeth HauptmannofJohn Gay's 18th-century Englishballad opera,The Beggar's Opera,and four ballads byFrançois Villon,with music byKurt Weill.Although there is debate as to how much, if any, contribution Hauptmann might have made to the text, Brecht is usually listed as sole author.

Die Dreigroschenoper The Threepenny Opera
Original German poster from Berlin, 1928
Music	Kurt Weill
Lyrics	Bertolt Brecht Uncredited:François Villon(four songs translated byK. L. Ammer)
Book	Bertolt Brecht
Basis	The Beggar's OperabyJohn Gay,translated byElisabeth Hauptmann
Premiere	31 August1928:Theater am Schiffbauerdamm,Berlin

The work offers asocialistcritique of thecapitalistworld.It opened on 31 August 1928 at Berlin'sTheater am Schiffbauerdamm.

With influences fromjazzand German dance music, songs fromThe Threepenny Operahave been widely covered and becomestandards,most notably "DieMoritatvon Mackie Messer"(" The Ballad ofMack the Knife") and"Seeräuberjenny"("Pirate Jenny").

The Threepenny Operahas been performed in the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Russia, Italy, and Hungary. It has also been adapted to film and radio. The German-language version from 1928 entered thepublic domain in the US in 2024.

Background

Origins

In the winter of 1927–28,Elisabeth Hauptmann,Brecht's lover at the time, received a copy of Gay's play from friends in England and, fascinated by the female characters and its critique of the condition of the London poor, began translating it into German. Brecht at first took little interest in her translation project,but in April 1928 he attempted to interest the impresarioErnst Josef Aufrichtin a play he was writing calledFleischhacker,which he had, in fact, already promised to another producer. Aufricht was seeking a production to launch his new theatre company at theTheater am Schiffbauerdammin Berlin, but was not impressed by the sound ofFleischhacker.Brecht immediately proposed a translation ofThe Beggar's Operainstead, claiming that he himself had been translating it.He delivered Hauptmann's translation to Aufricht, who immediately signed a contract for it. Brecht proposed Weill to write the music, and spent the next four months writing the libretto.

Brecht used four songs by the French poetFrançois Villon.Rather than translate the French himself, he used the translations byK. L. Ammer(Karl Anton Klammer), the same source he had been using since his earliest plays.

The first act of both works begins with the same melody ( "Peachum's Morning Chorale" / "An Old Woman Clothed In Gray" ), but that is the only material Weill borrowed from the melodiesJohann Christoph Pepuscharranged forThe Beggar's Opera.The titleDie Dreigroschenoperwas determined only a week before the opening; it had been previously announced as simplyThe Beggar's Opera(in English), with the subtitle "Die Luden-Oper" ( "ThePimp's Opera ").

Writing in 1929, Weill made the political and artistic intents of the work clear:

With theDreigroschenoperwe reach a public which either did not know us at all or thought us incapable of captivating listeners... Opera was founded as an aristocratic form of art... If the framework of opera is unable to withstand the impact of the age, then this framework must be destroyed... In theDreigroschenoper,reconstruction was possible insofar as here we had a chance of starting from scratch.

Weill claimed at the time that "music cannot further the action of the play or create its background", but achieves its proper value when it interrupts the action at the right moments. "

Music

Weill's score shows the influence ofjazzand German dance music of the time.The orchestration involves a small ensemble with a good deal of doubling-up on instruments (in the original performances, for example, some 7 players covered a total of 23 instrumental parts, though modern performances typically use a few more players).

Playbill of the premiere performance at Theater am Schiffbauerdamm Berlin, 31 August 1928. The name of Lotte Lenya, who played Jenny, was omitted by mistake.

Premieres

Germany

The Threepenny Operawas first performed at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in 1928on a set designed byCaspar Neher.Despite an initially poor reception, it became a great success, playing 400 times in the next two years. The performance was a springboard for one of the best known interpreters of Brecht and Weill's work,Lotte Lenya,who was married to Weill. Ironically, the production became a great favourite of Berlin's "smart set" – CountHarry Kesslerrecorded in his diary meeting at the performance an ambassador and a director of theDresdner Bank(and their wives), and concluded "One simply has to have been there."

Critics did not fail to notice that Brecht had included the four Villon songs translated by Ammer. Brecht responded by saying that he had "a fundamental laxity in questions of literary property."

By 1933, when Weill and Brecht were forced to leave Germany by theNazi seizure of power,the play had been translated into 18 languages and performed more than 10,000 times on European stages.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the first fully staged performance was given on 9 February 1956, underBerthold Goldschmidt,although there had been a concert performance in 1933, and a semi-staged performance on 28 July 1938. In between, on 8 February 1935Edward Clarkconducted the first British broadcast of the work. It received scathing reviews fromErnest Newmanand other critics.But the most savage criticism came from Weill himself, who described it privately as "the worst performance imaginable… the whole thing was completely misunderstood". But his criticisms seem to have been for the concept of the piece as a Germanised version ofThe Beggar's Opera,rather than for Clark's conducting of it, of which Weill made no mention.

United States

America was introduced to the work by thefilm versionofG. W. Pabst,which opened in New York in 1931.

The first American production, adapted into English by Gifford Cochran and Jerrold Krimsky and staged byFrancesco von Mendelssohn,featured Robert Chisholm as Macheath. It opened onBroadwayat theEmpire Theatre,on April 13, 1933, and closed after 12 performances. Mixed reviews praised the music but slammed the production, with the criticGilbert Gabrielcalling it "a dreary enigma".

France

A French version produced byGaston Batyand written by Ninon Steinhof andAndré Maupreywas presented in October 1930 at theThéâtre Montparnassein Paris. It was rendered asL'Opéra de quat'sous;(quatresous,orfour penniesbeing theidiomaticallyequivalent French expression forThreepenny).

Russia

In 1930 the work premiered in Moscow at theKamerny Theatre,directed byAlexander Tairov.It was the only one of Brecht's works to be performed in Russia during his lifetime.Izvestiadisapproved: "It is high time that our theatres ceased playing homage to petit-bourgeois bad taste and instead turned to more relevant themes."

Italy

The first Italian production, titledL'opera da tre soldiand directed byGiorgio Strehler,premiered at thePiccolo Teatroin Milan on 27 February 1956 in the presence of Bertolt Brecht. The cast included:Tino Carraro(Mackie),Mario Carotenuto(Peachum),Marina Bonfigli(Polly),Milly(Jenny),Enzo Tarascio(Chief of Police). The conductor wasBruno Maderna.Set designs were byLuciano DamianiandTeo Otto;costume design byEzio Frigerio.

Hungary

The first Hungarian performance of the play was at theComedy Theatre of Budapest(Vígszínház), on 6 September 1930. It was titledA koldus operája,which is a reference to Gay's original opera. The play was translated by Jenő Heltai, who mixed Weill and Pepusch' s music, and also Brecht and Gay's texts too. The director was Ernő Szabolcs, the cast included:Pál Jávor(Mackie),Franciska Gaal(Polly),Gerő Mály(Peachum),Ella Gombaszögi(Mrs. Peachum).

Roles

Roles, voice types, premiere cast

Role	Voice type	Premiere cast, 31 August 1928 Conductor:Theo Mackeben
Macheath ( "Mackie Messer" / "Mack the Knife" ),London's greatest and most notorious criminal	tenor/baritone	Harald Paulsen
Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum,the "Beggar's Friend", controller of all the beggars in London; conspires to have Mack hanged	baritone	Erich Ponto
Celia Peachum ( "Frau Peachum" ),Peachum's wife; helps him run the business	mezzo-soprano	Rosa Valetti
Polly Peachum,the Peachums' daughter; after knowing Mack for only five days, agrees to marry him	soprano	Roma Bahn
Jackie "Tiger" Brown,Police Chief of London and Mack's best friend from their army days	baritone	Kurt Gerron
Lucy Brown,Tiger Brown's daughter; claims to be married to Mack	soprano	Kate Kühl
Jenny( "Spelunken-Jenny" / "Low-Dive Jenny" / "Ginny Jenny" ), aprostituteonce romantically involved with Macheath; is bribed to turn Mack over to the police	mezzo-soprano	Lotte Lenya
Filch,a misfit young man who approaches the Peachums in hopes of beggar training	tenor	Naphtali Lehrmann
Street Singer ( "Moritatensänger" ),sings 'The Ballad of Mack the Knife' in the opening scene	baritone	Kurt Gerron
Smith,a constable	baritone	Ernst Busch
Walter	tenor	Ernst Rotmund
Matthias	tenor	Karl Hannemann
Jakob	tenor	Manfred Fürst
Jimmie	tenor	Werner Maschmeyer
Ede	tenor	Albert Venohr
Beggars, gangsters, whores, constables

Synopsis

Overview

Set inVictorianLondon, the play focuses onMacheath,an amoralantiherowho leads a criminal gang, committing robbery, arson, rape and murder.

Macheath ( "Mackie," or "Mack the Knife" ) marries Polly Peachum. This displeases her father, who controls the beggars of London, and he endeavours to have Macheath hanged. His attempts are hindered by the fact that the Chief of Police, Tiger Brown, is Macheath's old army comrade. Still, Peachum exerts his influence and eventually gets Macheath arrested and sentenced tohang.Macheath escapes this fate via adeus ex machinamoments before theexecutionwhen, in an unrestrainedparodyof a happy ending, a messenger from the Queen arrives topardonMacheath and grant him the title of baron.The details of the original 1928 text have often been substantially modified in later productions.

A draft narration by Brecht for a concert performance begins: "You are about to hear an opera for beggars. Since this opera was intended to be as splendid as only beggars can imagine, and yet cheap enough for beggars to be able to watch, it is called theThreepenny Opera."

Prologue

A street singer entertains the crowd with theillustrated murder ballad or Bänkelsang,titled "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer" ( "Ballad of Mack the Knife" ). As the song concludes, a well-dressed man leaves the crowd and crosses the stage. This is Macheath, alias "Mack the Knife".

Act 1

The story begins in the shop of Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum, the boss of London's beggars, who outfits and trains the beggars in return for a slice of their takings from begging. In the first scene, the extent of Peachum's iniquity is immediately exposed. Filch, a new beggar, is obliged to bribe his way into the profession and agree to pay over to Peachum 50 percent of whatever he made; the previous day he had been severely beaten up for begging within the area of jurisdiction of Peachum's protection racket.

After finishing with the new man, Peachum becomes aware that his grown daughter Polly did not return home the previous night. Peachum, who sees his daughter as his own private property, concludes that she has become involved with Macheath. This does not suit Peachum at all, and he becomes determined to thwart this relationship and destroy Macheath.

The scene shifts to an empty stable where Macheath himself is preparing to marry Polly once his gang has stolen and brought all the necessary food and furnishings. No vows are exchanged, but Polly is satisfied, and everyone sits down to a banquet. Since none of the gang members can provide fitting entertainment, Polly gets up and sings "Seeräuberjenny",a revenge fantasy in which she is a scullery maid turning pirate queen to order the execution of her bosses and customers. The gang becomes nervous when the Chief of Police, Tiger Brown, arrives, but it's all part of the act; Brown had served with Mack in England's colonial wars and had intervened on numerous occasions to prevent the arrest of Macheath over the years. The old friends duet in the" Kanonen-Song "(" Cannon Song "or" Army Song "). In the next scene, Polly returns home and defiantly announces that she has married Macheath by singing the" Barbarasong "(" Barbara Song "). She stands fast against her parents' anger, but she inadvertently reveals Brown's connections to Macheath which her parents subsequently use to their advantage.

Act 2

Polly warns Macheath that her father will try to have him arrested. He is finally convinced that Peachum has enough influence to do it and makes arrangements to leave London, explaining the details of his bandit "business" to Polly so she can manage it in his absence. Before he leaves town, he stops at his favorite brothel, where he sees his ex-lover, Jenny. They sing the "Zuhälterballade" ( "Pimp's Ballad", one of the Villon songs translated by Ammer) about their days together, but Macheath doesn't know Mrs Peachum has bribed Jenny to turn him in. Despite Brown's apologies, there's nothing he can do, and Macheath is dragged away to jail. After he sings the "Ballade vom angenehmen Leben" ( "Ballad of the Pleasant Life" ), another Villon/Ammer song, another girlfriend, Lucy (Brown's daughter) and Polly show up at the same time, setting the stage for a nasty argument that builds to the "Eifersuchtsduett" ( "Jealousy Duet" ). After Polly leaves, Lucy engineers Macheath's escape. When Mr Peachum finds out, he confronts Brown and threatens him, telling him that he will unleash all of his beggars duringQueen Victoria'scoronationparade, ruining the ceremony and costing Brown his job.

Act 3

Jenny comes to the Peachums' shop to demand her money for the betrayal of Macheath, which Mrs Peachum refuses to pay. Jenny reveals that Macheath is at Suky Tawdry's house. When Brown arrives, determined to arrest Peachum and the beggars, he is horrified to learn that the beggars are already in position and only Mr Peachum can stop them. To placate Peachum, Brown's only option is to arrest Macheath and have him executed. In the next scene, Macheath is back in jail and desperately trying to raise a sufficient bribe to get out again, even as the gallows are being assembled.

Soon it becomes clear that neither Polly nor the gang members can, or are willing to, raise any money, and Macheath prepares to die. He laments his fate and poses the 'Marxist' questions: "What's picking a lock compared to buying shares? What's breaking into a bank compared to founding one? What's murdering a man compared to employing one?" (These questions did not appear in the original version of the work, but first appeared in the musicalHappy End,another Brecht/Weill/Hauptmann collaboration, in 1929 – they may in fact have been written not by Brecht, but by Hauptmann).

Macheath asks everyone for forgiveness ( "Grave Inscription" ). Then a sudden and intentionally comical reversal: Peachum announces that in this opera mercy will prevail over justice and that a messenger on horseback will arrive ( "Walk to Gallows" ); Brown arrives as that messenger and announces that Macheath has been pardoned by the queen and granted a title, a castle and a pension. The cast then sings the Finale, which ends with a plea that wrongdoing not be punished too harshly as life is harsh enough.

Musical numbers

Prelude

11. Ouverture
12. Die Moritat von Mackie Messer ( "The Ballad ofMack the Knife"– Street singer)

Act 1

13. Morgenchoral des Peachum (Peachum's Morning Choral – Peachum, Mrs Peachum)
14. Anstatt dass-Song (Instead of Song – Peachum, Mrs Peachum)
15. Hochzeits-Lied (Wedding Song – Four Gangsters)
16. Seeräuberjenny (Pirate Jenny– Polly)
17. Kanonen-Song (Cannon Song – Macheath, Brown)
18. Liebeslied (Love Song – Polly, Macheath)
19. Barbarasong (Barbara Song – Polly)
10. I. Dreigroschenfinale (First Threepenny Finale – Polly, Peachum, Mrs Peachum)

Act 2

11.aMelodram (Melodrama – Macheath)
11a. Polly's Lied (Polly's Song – Polly)
12.aBallade von der sexuellen Hörigkeit (Ballad of Sexual Dependency – Mrs Peachum)
13.aZuhälterballade (Pimp's Ballad or Tango Ballad – Jenny, Macheath)
14.aBallade vom angenehmen Leben (Ballad of the Pleasant Life – Macheath)
15.aEifersuchtsduett (Jealousy Duet – Lucy, Polly)
15b. Arie der Lucy (Aria of Lucy – Lucy)
16.aII. Dreigroschenfinale (Second Threepenny Finale– Macheath, Mrs Peachum, Chorus)

Act 3

17.aLied von der Unzulänglichkeit menschlichen Strebens (Song of the Insufficiency of Human Struggling – Peachum)
17a. Reminiszenz (Reminiscence)
18.aSalomonsong (Solomon Song – Jenny)
19.aRuf aus der Gruft (Call from the Grave – Macheath)
20.aGrabschrift (Grave Inscription – Macheath)
20a. Gang zum Galgen (Walk to Gallows – Peachum)
21.aIII. Dreigroschenfinale (Third Threepenny Finale – Brown, Mrs Peachum, Peachum, Macheath, Polly, Chorus)

Reception

Opera or musical theatre?

The ambivalent nature ofThe Threepenny Opera,derived from an 18th-centuryballad operabut conceived in terms of 20th-centurymusical theatre,has led to discussion as to how it can best be characterised. According to critic and musicologistHans Keller,the work is "the weightiest possiblelowbrowopera forhighbrowsand the most full-blooded highbrow musical for lowbrows ".

The Weill authorityStephen Hintonnotes that "generic ambiguity is a key to the work's enduring success", and points out the work's deliberate hybrid status:

For Weill [The Threepenny Opera] was not just 'the most consistent reaction to[Richard] Wagner'; it also marked a positive step towards an operatic reform. By explicitly and implicitly shunning the more earnest traditions of the opera house, Weill created a mixed form which incorporated spoken theatre and popular musical idioms. Parody of operatic convention – ofRomanticlyricism and happy endings – constitutes a central device.

"Mack the Knife"

The work's opening and closing lament, "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer," was written just before the Berlin premiere, when actorHarald Paulsen(Macheath) threatened to quit if his character did not receive an introduction; this creative emergency resulted in what would become the work's most popular song, later translated into English byMarc Blitzsteinas "Mack the Knife",and now ajazz standardthatLouis Armstrong,Bobby Darin,Ella Fitzgerald,Sonny Rollins,Frank Sinatra,Peggy Lee,Michael Bublé,Robbie Williamsand countless others have performed.In 2015, the Library of Congress added the recordings of "Mack the Knife" by Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin to theNational Recording Registry.It has been named one of the hundred most popular songs of the twentieth century.

In 1986, American fast-food chainMcDonald'slaunched anadvertising campaignfeaturing a new mascot "Mac Tonight"loosely based on the lyrics" Mack the Knife "featuring a parody of the song. The advert, which was associated with a 10% increase in later diners in some Californian restaurants at the time,led to alawsuitbyBobby Darin's son, Dodd Mitchell Darin.The lawsuit concerned the parody created by McDonald's stated that it was in violation ofcopyright law.The case was settled outside of court without requiring a court hearing. Following this the mascot was mostly dropped from McDonalds marketing.

"Pirate Jenny"

"Pirate Jenny"is another well-known song from the work, which has since been recorded byNina Simone,Judy Collins,Tania Tsanaklidou,andMarc Almond,among others. In addition,Steeleye Spanrecorded it under the alternative title "The Black Freighter". Recently, the drag queenSasha Velourhas made an adaptation by the same name for an installment of One Dollar Drags, an anthology of short films.

"The Second Threepenny Finale"

Under the title "What Keeps Mankind Alive?",this number has been recorded by thePet Shop Boyson the B-side of their 1993 single "Can You Forgive Her?",and on two albums.Tom Waitscovered it on two albums, andWilliam S. Burroughsperformed it in a 1994 documentary.

Revivals

Germany

After World War II the first stage performance in Berlin was a rough production ofThe Threepenny Operaat theTheater am Schiffbauerdamm.Wolf Von Eckardtdescribed the 1945 performance where audience members climbed over ruins and passed through a tunnel to reach the open-air auditorium deprived of its ceiling. In addition to the smell of dead bodies trapped beneath the rubble, Eckardt recollects the actors themselves were "haggard, starved, [and] in genuine rags. Many of the actors... had only just been released from concentration camp. They sang not well, but free."Barrie Koskyproduced the work again at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in 2021.The production travelled to theRuhrfestspielein 2022,theInternationaal Theater Amsterdam,Teatro Argentina,Rome,theEdinburgh International Festivalin 2023,and to the 2024Adelaide Festival.

France

ThePabstfilmThe Threepenny Operawas shown in its French version in 1931. In 1937 there was a production byErnst Josef Aufrichtat theThéâtre de l'Étoilewhich failed, though Brecht himself had attended rehearsals. The work was not revived in France until after World War II.

United Kingdom

In London,West EndandOff-West Endrevivals include:

• Royal Court Theatre,9 February to 20 March 1956 andAldwych Theatre,from 21 March 1956. Directed bySam Wanamaker.WithBill Owenas Macheath,Daphne Andersonas Polly.
• Prince of Wales TheatreandPiccadilly Theatre,opening 10 February 1972. WithVanessa Redgrave,Diana QuickandBarbara Windsor.
• National Theatre(Olivier Theatre), 13 March 1986. New translation byRobert David MacDonald,directed by Peter Wood. WithTim Curryas Macheath,Sally Dexteras Polly,Joanna Fosteras Lucy andEve Polycarpou(Adam) as Jenny.
• Donmar Warehouse,1994. Translation by Robert David MacDonald (book) andJeremy Sams(lyrics). WithTom Hollanderas Macheath andSharon Smallas Polly. This production released a cast recording as was nominated forBest Musical RevivalandBest Supporting Performance in a Musical(for Tara Hugo as Jenny) at the1995 Laurence Olivier Awards.
• National Theatre(Cottesloe Theatre) and UK Tour, February 2003. Translation by Jeremy Sams (lyrics) and Anthony Meech (book), directed by Tim Baker.
• National Theatre(Olivier Theatre), 18 May to 1 October 2016. New adaptation bySimon Stephens,directed byRufus Norris.WithRory Kinnearas Macheath,Rosalie Craigas Polly, Nick Holder as Peachum,Haydn Gwynneas Mrs Peachum (nominated forBest Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musicalat the2017 Laurence Olivier Awards),Sharon Smallas Jenny,Peter de Jerseyas Brown.This production was broadcast live to cinemas worldwide throughNT Liveon 22 September.

In 2014, the Robert David MacDonald and Jeremy Sams translation (previously used in 1994 at theDonmar Warehouse) toured the UK, presented by theGraeae Theatre CompanywithNottingham Playhouse,New Wolsey TheatreIpswich,Birmingham Repertory TheatreandWest Yorkshire Playhouse.

United States

In 1946, four performances of the work were given at theUniversity of IllinoisinUrbana,andNorthwestern Universitygave six performances in 1948 inEvanston, Illinois.In 1952,Leonard Bernsteinconducted a concert performance of the work at theBrandeis University Creative Arts Festivalin the Adolph Ullman Amphitheatre,Waltham, Massachusetts,to an audience of nearly 5,000.Marc Blitzstein,who translated the work, narrated.

At least fiveBroadwayandOff-Broadwayrevivals have been mounted in New York City.

• In 1956,Lotte Lenyawon aTony Awardfor her role as Jenny, the only time anoff-Broadwayperformance has been so honored, in Blitzstein's somewhat softened version ofThe Threepenny Opera,which played Off-Broadway at theTheater de LysinGreenwich Villagefor a total of 2,707 performances, beginning with an interrupted 96-performance run in 1954 and resuming in 1955. Blitzstein had translated the work into English, and toned down some of its acerbities. Over the course of its run, the production featured Scott Merrill as Macheath;Edward Asneras Mr. Peachum;Charlotte Rae(laterCarole Cook,billed as Mildred Cook, thenJane Connell) as Mrs. Peachum;Jo Sullivan Loesseras Polly;Bea Arthuras Lucy;Jerry Orbachas PC Smith, the Street Singer and Mack;John Astinas Readymoney Matt/Matt of the Mint; andJerry Stilleras Crookfinger Jake.
• A nine-month run in 1976–77 had a new translation byRalph ManheimandJohn WillettforJoe Papp'sNew York Shakespeare Festivalat theVivian Beaumont TheateratLincoln Center,directed byRichard Foreman,withRaul Juliaas Macheath,Blair Brownas Lucy, andEllen Greeneas Jenny. The production rescinded some of Blitzstein's modifications. Critics were divided:Clive Barnescalled it "the most interesting and original thing that Joe Papp... has produced" whilstJohn Simonwrote "I cannot begin to list all the injuries done to Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's masterpiece."
• A 1989 Broadway production, billed as3 Penny Opera,translated byMichael Feingold,starredStingas Macheath. Its cast also featuredGeorgia Brownas Mrs Peachum,Maureen McGovernas Polly,Kim Criswellas Lucy,KT Sullivanas Suky Tawdry andEthyl Eichelbergeras the Street Singer. The production was unsuccessful.
• Liberally adapted by playwrightWallace Shawn,the work was brought back to Broadway by theRoundabout Theatre CompanyatStudio 54in March 2006withAlan Cummingplaying Macheath,Nellie McKayas Polly,Cyndi Lauperas Jenny,Jim Daleas Mr Peachum,Ana Gasteyeras Mrs Peachum, Carlos Leon as Filch,Adam Alexi-Malleas Jacob andBrian Charles Rooneyas a male Lucy. Included in the cast were drag performers. The director was Scott Elliott, the choreographerAszure Barton,and, while not adored by the critics, the production was nominated for the "Best Musical Revival" Tony award. Jim Dale was also Tony-nominated for Best Supporting Actor. The run ended on June 25, 2006.
• TheBrooklyn Academy of Musicpresented a production directed byRobert Wilsonand featuring theBerliner Ensemblefor only a few performances in October 2011. The play was presented in German with English supertitles using the 1976 translation byJohn Willett.The cast included Stefan Kurt as Macheath, Stefanie Stappenbeck as Polly and Angela Winkler as Jenny.The Village Voicereview said the production "turn[ed] Brecht and Weill's middle-class wake-up call into dead entertainment for rich people. His gelid staging and pallid, quasi-abstract recollections of Expressionist-era design suggested that the writers might have been trying to perpetrate an artsified remake ofKander and Ebb'sCabaret.

Regional productions include:

• Boston'sCharles Playhouse,April 27 through June 6, 1982. Adapted byMarc Blitzsteinand directed byGeraldine Fitzgerald,the production starredElly Stone,Timothy Landfield, Jessica James, andMaryann Plunkett.
• TheWilliamstown Theatre Festival,Massachusetts, in June and July 2003. Directed byPeter Hunt,the musical starredJesse L. Martinas Mack,Melissa Erricoas Polly,David Schrammas Peachum,Karen Ziembaas Lucy Brown andBetty Buckleyas Jenny. The production received favorable reviews.

Film adaptations

German directorG. W. Pabstmade a1931 German- and French-language versionsimultaneously, a common practice in the early days of sound films.

Another version,Die Dreigroschenoper,was directed byWolfgang StaudteinWest Germanyin 1963, starringCurd Jürgensas Macheath,Hildegard Knefas Jenny,Gert Fröbeas Peachum, andSammy Davis Jr.as Moritat singer.

In 1989 an American version (renamedMack the Knife) was released, directed byMenahem Golan,withRaul Juliaas Macheath,Richard Harrisas Peachum,Julie Waltersas Mrs Peachum,Bill Nighyas Tiger Brown,Julia Migenesas Jenny, andRoger Daltreyas the Street Singer.

Radio adaptations

In 2009,BBC Radio 3in collaboration with theBBC Philharmonicbroadcast a complete radio production of the Michael Feingold translation directed by Nadia Molinari with the music performed by the BBC Philharmonic.The cast includedJoseph Millsonas Macheath,Elen Rhysas Polly/Whore, Ruth Alexander-Rubin as Mrs Peachum/Whore,Zubin Varlaas Mr. Peachum/Rev. Kimball,Rosalie Craigas Lucy/Whore, Ute Gfrerer as Jenny,Conrad Nelsonas Tiger Brown andHK Gruberas the Ballad Singer.

English Translations

• Gifford Cochran and Jerrold Krimsky, 1933:[1]
• Desmond Vesey (book) and Eric Bentley (lyrics), 1949:
• Marc Blitzstein,1954:[2]
• John Willett and Ralph Manheim, 1976:[3]
• Jeremy Sams(lyrics) and Robert David Macdonald (book), 1994:[4]
• Wallace Shawn,2005:[5]
• Brian Vinero, 2024:[6]

Recordings

Recordings are in German, unless otherwise specified.

• Die Dreigroschenoper,1930, onTelefunken.Abridged/incomplete.Lotte Lenya(Jenny),Erika Helmke(Polly),Willy Trenk-Trebitsch(Macheath),Kurt Gerron(Moritatensänger; Brown), andErich Ponto(Peachum).Lewis RuthBand, conducted byTheo Mackeben.Released on CD byTeldecClassics in 1990.
• The Threepenny Opera,1954, onDeccaBroadway 159 463. In English. Lyrics by Marc Blitzstein. The 1950s Broadway cast, starringJo Sullivan(Polly Peachum),Lotte Lenya(Jenny),Charlotte Rae(Mrs Peachum), Scott Merrill (Macheath), Gerald Price (Street Singer), and Martin Wolfson (Peachum).Bea Arthursings Lucy, normally a small role, here assigned an extra number. Complete recording of the score, without spoken dialogues. Conducted by Samuel Matlowsky.
• Die Dreigroschenoper,1955, onVanguard8057, withAnny Felbermayer,Hedy Fassler,Jenny Miller,Rosette Anday,Helge Rosvaenge,Alfred Jerger,Kurt PregerandLiane Augustin.Vienna State OperaOrchestra conducted byF. Charles Adler.
• Die Dreigroschenoper,1958, on CBS MK 42637. Lenya, who also supervised the production,Johanna von Koczian,Trude Hesterberg,Erich Schellow,Wolfgang Neuss,andWilly Trenk-Trebitsch,Arndt Chorus,Sender Freies BerlinOrchestra, conducted byWilhelm Brückner-Rüggeberg.Complete recording of the score, without spoken dialogues.
• Die Dreigroschenoper,1966, conducted byWolfgang Rennerton Philips. WithKarin Hübner,Edith Teichmann,Anita Mey,Hans Korte,Dieter Brammer,andFranz Kutschera.
• The Threepenny Opera,1976, onColumbiaPS 34326. Conducted byStanley Silverman.In English, new translation byRalph ManheimandJohn Willett.Starring theNew York Shakespeare Festivalcast, includingRaul Julia(Macheath),Ellen Greene(Jenny),Caroline Kava(Polly),Blair Brown(Lucy),C. K. Alexander(Peachum) andElizabeth Wilson(Mrs Peachum)
• Die Dreigroschenoper,1968, onPolydor00289 4428349 (2 CDs).Hannes Messemer(MM),Helmut Qualtinger(P),Berta Drews(MsP),Karin Baal(Polly),Martin Held(B),Hanne Wieder(J),Franz Josef Degenhardt(Mor). Conducted byJames Last.The only recording, up to the present, that contains the complete spoken dialogue.
• Die Dreigroschenoper,1988, on Decca 430 075.René Kollo(Macheath),Mario Adorf(Peachum),Helga Dernesch(Mrs Peachum),Ute Lemper(Polly),Milva(Jenny),Wolfgang Reichmann(Tiger Brown),Susanne Tremper(Lucy),Rolf Boysen(Herald).RIASBerlin Sinfonietta,John Mauceri.
• Die Dreigroschenoper,1990, on Koch International Classics 37006.Manfred Jung(Macheath), Stephanie Myszak (Polly), Anelia Shoumanova (Jenny), Herrmann Becht (Peachum), Anita Herrmann (Mrs Peachum), Eugene Demerdjiev (Brown),Waldemar Kmentt(Street Singer); Bulgarian Television and Radio Mixed Choir and Symphony Orchestra, Victor C. Symonette
• The Threepenny Opera,1994, on CDJAY 1244. In English. Donmar Warehouse (London) production. Translated by Robert David Macdonald (lyrics translated byJeremy Sams). Conducted byGary Yershon.WithSharon Small(Polly Peachum), Tara Hugo (Jenny), Natasha Bain (Lucy Brown),Tom Hollander(Macheath),Simon Dormandy(Tiger Brown), Beverley Klein (Mrs Peachum) andTom Mannion(Mr Peachum).
• Die Dreigroschenoper,1997, onCapriccio.Conducted by Jan Latham-König, withUlrike Steinsky,Gabriele Ramm,Jane Henschel,Walter Raffeiner,Rolf Wollrad, and Peter Nikolaus Kante.
• Die Dreigroschenoper,1999, BMG Classics 74321-66133,Ensemble Modern,HK Gruber(conductor, Mr Peachum),Max Raabe(Macheath),Sona MacDonald(Polly),Nina Hagen(Mrs Peachum),Timna Brauer(Jenny),Hannes Hellmann(Tiger Brown)

See also

• Threepenny Novel(1934)
• Story adapted to Brazilian scenario byChico Buarque,having Rio instead of London, asÓpera do Malandro(1979)
• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Century

References

Sources

• Brook, Stephen, ed. (1996).Opera: A Penguin Anthology.London: Penguin Books.ISBN978-0-14-026073-1.
• Casaglia, Gherardo (2005)."Die Dreigroschenoper(31 August 1928) ".L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia(in Italian).
• Haas, Michael; Uekermann, Gerd (1988).Zu unserer Aufnahme(Booklet accompanying the 1988 recording, Cat: 430-075). London: Decca Record Company.
• Hinton, Stephen(1990).Kurt Weill: The Threepenny Opera.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-33026-8.
• Hinton, Stephen (1992). "Dreigroschenoper, Die".Grove Music Online(8th ed.).Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.O006155.ISBN978-1-56159-263-0.
• Ross, Alex(2008).The Rest Is Noise.London: Fourth Estate.ISBN978-1-84115-475-6.
• Taruskin, Richard(2010).Music in the Early Twentieth Century.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-538484-0.
• Thomson, Peter; Sacks, Glendyr, eds. (1994).The Cambridge Companion to Brecht.Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-42485-1.

External links

• ​Threepenny Opera​at theInternet Broadway Database
• The Threepenny Operaat theInternet Off-Broadway Database
• Die Dreigroschenoper,Kurt Weill Foundation for Music
• Information onThe Threepenny OperaEnglish version,marc-blitzstein.org
• Mack the Knife(1989)atIMDb
• The Threepenny Opera:Scores at theInternational Music Score Library Project