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Overview

Synopsis

The Threepenny Opera is a biting satire of the post-war rise of capitalism, wrapped up in Weill's jazzy score, and the tale of Macheath (Mack the Knife), a debonair crime lord on the verge of turning his illegal empire into a legitimate business.

When Macheath marries young Polly Peachum, her father is enraged. Jonathan Peachum controls the beggars of London, and he strives to get Macheath hanged. Unfortunately for him, the chief of police is an old friend of Macheath’s.

Nevertheless, Peachum exerts considerable political influence, and eventually Macheath is arrested and imprisoned. He escapes, only to become imprisoned once more. Luckily, a hard-riding messenger from the Queen arrives at the last minute to pardon Macheath and to issue him a baronetcy.

Although Elisabeth Hauptmann (Brecht’s lover at the time) provided most of the book and in fact conceived the project, Bertolt Brecht did his best to conceal this and is usually given full credit for the script and lyrics of Threepenny. Songs from Threepenny have become classic standards, including “Pirate Jenny” and most notably, “Mack the Knife,” which has been covered by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Michael Buble.

Show Information

Music
Kurt Weill
Conceived By
Elisabeth Hauptmann
Based on the Play/Book/Film
The Beggar's Opera, by John Gay
Category
Musical
Age Guidance
Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
Number of Acts
3
First Produced
1928
Genres
Comedy, Dark Comedy
Settings
Period, Simple/No Set
Time & Place
victorian london
Cast Size
large
Orchestra Size
Medium
Dancing
Musical Staging
Ideal For
College/University, Diverse Cast, Ensemble Cast, Large Cast, Mature Audiences, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Early Teen, Late Teen, Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly, Child Characters

Context


Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Macheath (Mack the Knife)

Lead

Male

Baritone

Polly Peachum

Lead

Female

Soprano

J. J. Peachum

Supporting

Male

Bass

Mrs. Peachum

Supporting

Female

Alto

Tiger Brown

Supporting

Male

Baritone

Jenny Diver

Supporting

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

Street Singer

Featured

Male

Tenor

Lucy Brown

Featured

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

Filch

Featured

Male

Spoken

Smith

Featured

Male

Baritone

Rev. Kimball

Featured

Male

Spoken

Ready-Money Matt

Featured

Male

Spoken

Crook-Finger Jake

Featured

Male

Spoken

Bob the Saw

Featured

Male

Spoken

Walt Dreary

Featured

Male

Spoken

Beggars, Whores, Constables, Gangsters

Ensemble

Either Gender

Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone

Songs

Prelude

Act 1

  • -Peachum's Morning Choral – Peachum, Mrs Peachum
  • Instead of Song – Peachum, Mrs Peachum
  • Wedding Song – Four Gangsters
  • Pirate Jenny – Polly
  • Cannon Song (“Army Song”) – Macheath, Brown
  • Love Song – Polly, Macheath
  • Barbara Song – Polly
  • First Threepenny Finale – Polly, Peachum, Mrs Peachum

Act 2

  • Melodrama – Macheath
  • Polly's Song – Polly
  • Ballad of Sexual Dependency – Mrs Peachum
  • Ballad of the Pimp– Jenny, Macheath
  • Ballad of the Pleasant Life – Macheath
  • Jealousy Duet – Lucy, Polly
  • Aria of Lucy – Lucy
  • Second Threepenny Finale – Macheath, Mrs Peachum, Chorus

Act 3

  • Song of the Insufficiency of Human Struggling (“Life’s a Bitch”) – Peachum
  • Reminiscence
  • Solomon Song – Jenny
  • Call from the Grave – Macheath
  • Grave Inscription – Macheath
  • Walk to Gallows – Peachum
  • Third Threepenny Finale – Brown, Mrs Peachum, Peachum, Macheath, Polly, Chorus

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

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Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

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