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Cambridge Opera Handbooks
The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera was Brecht's first and greatest commercial success, and it remains one of his best-loved and most-performed plays. Based on John Gay's eighteenth-century Beggar's Opera, the play is set in Victorian England's Soho but satirizes the bourgeois society of the Weimar Republic through its wry love story of Polly Peachum and "Mack the Knife" Macheath. With Kurt Weill's music, which was one of the earliest and most successful attempts to introduce jazz into the theater, it became a popular hit throughout the Western world.
Commissioned and authorized by the Brecht estate, Arcade's definitive edition contains the acclaimed translation by Ralph Manheim and John Willett that was first staged at the York Theatre Royal and subsequently at Lincoln Center in New York. Willett and Manheim, the joint editors of Brecht's complete dramatic work in English, also provide Brecht's own notes and discarded songs, as well as extensive editorial commentary on the genesis of his play.
124 pages, Paperback
First published October 12, 1928
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About the author
Bertolt Brecht
1,603 books1,921 followersEugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director. A seminal theatre practitioner of the twentieth century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the Berliner Ensemble—the post-war theatre company operated by Brecht and his wife and long-time collaborator, the actress Helene Weigel—with its internationally acclaimed productions.
From his late twenties Brecht remained a life-long committed Marxist who, in developing the combined theory and practice of his 'epic theatre', synthesized and extended the experiments of Piscator and Meyerhold to explore the theatre as a forum for political ideas and the creation of a critical aesthetics of dialectical materialism. Brecht's modernist concern with drama-as-a-medium led to his refinement of the 'epic form' of the drama (which constitutes that medium's rendering of 'autonomization' or the 'non-organic work of art'—related in kind to the strategy of divergent chapters in Joyce's novel Ulysses, to Eisenstein's evolution of a constructivist 'montage' in the cinema, and to Picasso's introduction of cubist 'collage' in the visual arts). In contrast to many other avant-garde approaches, however, Brecht had no desire to destroy art as an institution; rather, he hoped to 're-function' the apparatus of theatrical production to a new social use. In this regard he was a vital participant in the aesthetic debates of his era—particularly over the 'high art/popular culture' dichotomy—vying with the likes of Adorno, Lukács, Bloch, and developing a close friendship with Benjamin. Brechtian theatre articulated popular themes and forms with avant-garde formal experimentation to create a modernist realism that stood in sharp contrast both to its psychological and socialist varieties. "Brecht's work is the most important and original in European drama since Ibsen and Strindberg," Raymond Williams argues, while Peter Bürger insists that he is "the most important materialist writer of our time."
As Jameson among others has stressed, "Brecht is also ‘Brecht’"—collective and collaborative working methods were inherent to his approach. This 'Brecht' was a collective subject that "certainly seemed to have a distinctive style (the one we now call 'Brechtian') but was no longer personal in the bourgeois or individualistic sense." During the course of his career, Brecht sustained many long-lasting creative relationships with other writers, composers, scenographers, directors, dramaturgs and actors; the list includes: Elisabeth Hauptmann, Margarete Steffin, Ruth Berlau, Slatan Dudow, Kurt Weill, Hanns Eisler, Paul Dessau, Caspar Neher, Teo Otto, Karl von Appen, Ernst Busch, Lotte Lenya, Peter Lorre, Therese Giehse, Angelika Hurwicz, and Helene Weigel herself. This is "theatre as collective experiment [...] as something radically different from theatre as expression or as experience."
There are few areas of modern theatrical culture that have not felt the impact or influence of Brecht's ideas and practices; dramatists and directors in whom one may trace a clear Brechtian legacy include: Dario Fo, Augusto Boal, Joan Littlewood, Peter Brook, Peter Weiss, Heiner Müller, Pina Bausch, Tony Kushner and Caryl Churchill. In addition to the theatre, Brechtian theories and techniques have exerted considerable sway over certain strands of film theory and cinematic practice; Brecht's influence may be detected in the films of Joseph Losey, Jean-Luc Godard, Lindsay Anderson, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Nagisa Oshima, Ritwik Ghatak, Lars von Trier, Jan Bucquoy and Hal Hartley.
During the war years, Brecht became a prominent writer of the Exilliteratur. He expressed his opposition to the National Socialist and Fascist movements in his most famous plays.
From his late twenties Brecht remained a life-long committed Marxist who, in developing the combined theory and practice of his 'epic theatre', synthesized and extended the experiments of Piscator and Meyerhold to explore the theatre as a forum for political ideas and the creation of a critical aesthetics of dialectical materialism. Brecht's modernist concern with drama-as-a-medium led to his refinement of the 'epic form' of the drama (which constitutes that medium's rendering of 'autonomization' or the 'non-organic work of art'—related in kind to the strategy of divergent chapters in Joyce's novel Ulysses, to Eisenstein's evolution of a constructivist 'montage' in the cinema, and to Picasso's introduction of cubist 'collage' in the visual arts). In contrast to many other avant-garde approaches, however, Brecht had no desire to destroy art as an institution; rather, he hoped to 're-function' the apparatus of theatrical production to a new social use. In this regard he was a vital participant in the aesthetic debates of his era—particularly over the 'high art/popular culture' dichotomy—vying with the likes of Adorno, Lukács, Bloch, and developing a close friendship with Benjamin. Brechtian theatre articulated popular themes and forms with avant-garde formal experimentation to create a modernist realism that stood in sharp contrast both to its psychological and socialist varieties. "Brecht's work is the most important and original in European drama since Ibsen and Strindberg," Raymond Williams argues, while Peter Bürger insists that he is "the most important materialist writer of our time."
As Jameson among others has stressed, "Brecht is also ‘Brecht’"—collective and collaborative working methods were inherent to his approach. This 'Brecht' was a collective subject that "certainly seemed to have a distinctive style (the one we now call 'Brechtian') but was no longer personal in the bourgeois or individualistic sense." During the course of his career, Brecht sustained many long-lasting creative relationships with other writers, composers, scenographers, directors, dramaturgs and actors; the list includes: Elisabeth Hauptmann, Margarete Steffin, Ruth Berlau, Slatan Dudow, Kurt Weill, Hanns Eisler, Paul Dessau, Caspar Neher, Teo Otto, Karl von Appen, Ernst Busch, Lotte Lenya, Peter Lorre, Therese Giehse, Angelika Hurwicz, and Helene Weigel herself. This is "theatre as collective experiment [...] as something radically different from theatre as expression or as experience."
There are few areas of modern theatrical culture that have not felt the impact or influence of Brecht's ideas and practices; dramatists and directors in whom one may trace a clear Brechtian legacy include: Dario Fo, Augusto Boal, Joan Littlewood, Peter Brook, Peter Weiss, Heiner Müller, Pina Bausch, Tony Kushner and Caryl Churchill. In addition to the theatre, Brechtian theories and techniques have exerted considerable sway over certain strands of film theory and cinematic practice; Brecht's influence may be detected in the films of Joseph Losey, Jean-Luc Godard, Lindsay Anderson, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Nagisa Oshima, Ritwik Ghatak, Lars von Trier, Jan Bucquoy and Hal Hartley.
During the war years, Brecht became a prominent writer of the Exilliteratur. He expressed his opposition to the National Socialist and Fascist movements in his most famous plays.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 376 reviews
April 11, 2023
Me ha gustado muchísimo.
3.5 en realidad
Una obra de teatro con personajes que directamente tienen falta de moral y honor en una sociedad que prima el dinero y el llevarse un bocado de comida a la boca, por lo que terminan yendo por los caminos más oscuros para poder sostenerse en un ambiente precario y empobrecido. La corrupción, la ley, los negocios y el amor son varios de sus temas.
Por lo que es comprensible que sus personajes la mayoría sean ladrones, bandidos, extorsionistas, prostitutas, mendigos, etc. A la vez que se construye una crítica a la hipocresía de algunos, a la sobreexplotación, el abuso de poder y la poca remuneración del proletariado mientras muestra de manera objetiva los cambios sociales en una sociedad burguesa y capitalista con sus respectivas diferencias de clases sociales.
3.5 en realidad
Una obra de teatro con personajes que directamente tienen falta de moral y honor en una sociedad que prima el dinero y el llevarse un bocado de comida a la boca, por lo que terminan yendo por los caminos más oscuros para poder sostenerse en un ambiente precario y empobrecido. La corrupción, la ley, los negocios y el amor son varios de sus temas.
Por lo que es comprensible que sus personajes la mayoría sean ladrones, bandidos, extorsionistas, prostitutas, mendigos, etc. A la vez que se construye una crítica a la hipocresía de algunos, a la sobreexplotación, el abuso de poder y la poca remuneración del proletariado mientras muestra de manera objetiva los cambios sociales en una sociedad burguesa y capitalista con sus respectivas diferencias de clases sociales.
October 26, 2017
First performed in Berlin 1928 this play had been initially received poorly, but went on to great success, by 1933, when Brecht was forced to leave Germany by the Nazi seizure of power, the play had been translated into 18 languages and performed more than 10,000 times on European stages, quite an accomplishment. The play offers a socialist view of Capitalism and takes place in London centering on one Jonathan Peachum who happens to be the boss of beggars. With the help of his wife he enrolls a new beggar, but soon after, his daughter Polly does not come from the previous night, leading a run in with gangs and the law.
As this was a play, reading was never going to match the real thing, especially as it contains music, but with a little imagination it's not hard to think what it would have been like up on stage, even whilst early Nazism looked on with evil eyes, and the fact Brecht used his plays to express his outrage and opposition to the National Socialist and Fascist movements, shows he was an important voice for those being oppressed.
As this was a play, reading was never going to match the real thing, especially as it contains music, but with a little imagination it's not hard to think what it would have been like up on stage, even whilst early Nazism looked on with evil eyes, and the fact Brecht used his plays to express his outrage and opposition to the National Socialist and Fascist movements, shows he was an important voice for those being oppressed.
February 4, 2023
При прочтении (не просмотре спектакля) эта пьеса не вызывает какого-то особенного эмоционального отклика, особенно в сравнении с другими пьесами Брехта, на мой взгляд, более сильными. Довольно банальный гротескный сюжет из жизни криминального мира и низов общества, которые необыкновенно коммерциализированы, символизирующие общество предфашистской Германии, но можно сказать, что и к современному обществу эта пьеса имеет отношение. Полиция в лице Пантеры Брауна принимает живейший интерес в делах дна, имея со всего этого свою долю. Немного удручает финал о помиловании приговоренного к повешению Мэкхита королевой с присвоением ему дворянского звания, замка и годовой ренты впридачу.
Из истории постановок этой пьесы стало ясно, что музыку к нему написал Курт Вайль и его озвучивали великие исполнители, такие как Луи Армстронг и Фрэнк Синатра, и стало любопытно, что же из этого вышло. А вышел замечательный музыкальный спектакль. Поэтому, наверное, нет смысла читать, надо смотреть и слушать.
Из истории постановок этой пьесы стало ясно, что музыку к нему написал Курт Вайль и его озвучивали великие исполнители, такие как Луи Армстронг и Фрэнк Синатра, и стало любопытно, что же из этого вышло. А вышел замечательный музыкальный спектакль. Поэтому, наверное, нет смысла читать, надо смотреть и слушать.
March 16, 2025
Opera buffa des Kleinkriminellen. Mackie Messer als Bürgerschreck.
Inhalt: 2/5 Sterne (unstrukturierte Gangsterstory)
Komposition: 3/5 Sterne (Provokation)
Leseerlebnis: 3/5 Sterne (Schenkelklopferlieder)
Brechts Version von John Gays und Johann Christoph Pepuschs The Beggar's Opera (1728) stammt aus dem Jahr 1933 und kann als eine Art Übergangsstück vom individualistisch-hedonistischen Stückeschreiber Brecht zur marxistisch-orthodoxen Version seiner selbst verstanden werden, wie sie in Die Maßnahme erscheint. In Die Dreigroschenoper herrsch noch das Lustprinzip vor:
Da steht nun einer fast schon unterm Galgen
Der Kalk ist schon gekauft, ihn einzukalken
Sein Leben hängt an einem brüchigen Fädchen
Und was hat er im Kopf, der Bursche? Mädchen.
Schon unterm Galgen ist er noch bereit.
Das ist die sexuelle Hörigkeit.
Das Stück lässt sich als ein Hochgesang auf den Hedonismus verstehen: Mackie Messer, der Held, auf den alle Frauen fliegen, Krimineller, Mörder, Draufgänger, Dieb und steckbrieflich Gesuchter gegen das Ordnungsprinzip, gegen die Struktur und Organisation. Mackie schießt alles in den Wind, tappt in alle Fallen, weil er von Moment zu Moment leben will. Von Voraussicht hält er nichts. Obwohl ihn alle mehr oder weniger verraten, lieben ihn doch auch alle, irgendwie, denn er bringt Schwung in den Laden:
Ja, renn’ nur nach dem Glück,
Doch renne nicht zu sehr,
Denn alle rennen nach dem Glück,
Das Glück rennt hinterher.
Denn für dieses Leben
Ist der Mensch nicht anspruchslos genug,
Drum ist all sein Streben
Nur ein Selbstbetrug.
In acht Bildern, mit vielen Schlager- und Saufliedern, mit Pep, Wein, Weib und Gesang lässt Brecht es in allen Ecken und Enden von Soho krachen. Seine Vorbilder bleiben, in dieser Zeit noch, François Villons Das Kleine und das Große Testament , von dem er schamlos abschrieb, und auch die Philosophie und Lebenseinstellung eines Max Stirners aus Der Einzige und sein Eigentum . Mit dem Ende markiert er ein deus ex machina, das gemäß des epischen Theaters zum Nachdenken anregt. Es führt über das Stück selbst hinaus, in welchem alle korrupt und raffgierig und notgeil sind. Eine neue Ordnung muss herhalten. Brecht findet sie im orthodoxen Marxismus.
Die Dreigroschenoper erscheint als Lustspiel, als Kneipen- und Bänkelgesang, als eine Form der Travestie-, Minne- und Satiregesang. Der Wortwitz bleibt restriktiv, die Sprache zum Schenkelklopfen einfach und provokant und die Figurenzeichnung karikierend. Spannung stellt sich nicht ein. Dynamik gibt es so gut wie gar nicht. Von Glaubwürdigkeit zu sprechen, geht am Schelmencharakter des Lustspiels vorbei. Was bleibt: Eine gute Zeit. Mehr aber auch nicht.
---------------------------------
---------------------------------
Details – ab hier Spoilergefahr (zur Erinnerung für mich):
---------------------------------
---------------------------------
Inhalt: Zusammenfassung/Inhaltsangabe: Macheath, Mackie Messer, treibt mit seiner Banditenbande sein Unwesen in Soho. Das Stück beginnt mit der Aufzählung seiner Untaten: 2 Morde, 30 Einbrüche, 23 Straßenüberfälle, Brandstiftung, weitere vorsätzliche Morde und Verführung von Minderjährigen. Jonathan Peachum, der eine Bettlerbande organisiert und mittels kommunikativer Täuschung zu Geld zu kommen versucht, sorgt sich um seine Tochter, Polly, die mit Macheath anbandelt und ihn nach nur wenigen Tagen in einem Pferdestall heiratet. Peachum außer sich sorgt nun dafür, dass Macheath, der bislang von seinem Polizisten-Buddy Brown geschützt worden ist, nun steckbrieflich gesucht wird. Polly warnt Macheath, übernimmt seinen Posten als Gangsterboss und bittet ihn, nicht ins Bordell zu gehen, wo er mit Sicherheit gefunden wird. Macheath geht aber ins Bordell, wo ihn Jenny, von Pollys Mutter vorgewarnt, an die Polizei verpfeift, vor allem auch, weil Macheath ihre Liebesbeziehung und Zuhälter-Prostituierte-Verbindung einseitig beendet hat. Macheath wird abgeführt. Im Gefängnis befürchtet nun Macheath, dass seine Affäre mit Lucy, der Tochter seines besten Freundes Brown, auffliegt und versucht den Wärter Smith zu bestechen. Schon besucht sie ihn, offensichtlich schwanger. Es kommt zu einer Eifersuchtsszene zwischen Polly und Lucy, die von Pollys Mutter unterbrochen wird. Nach der Szene hilft Lucy Macheath bei der Flucht. Brown will die Verfolgung nicht aufnehmen, Peachum droht, den Krönungszug empfindlich mit seiner Bande zu stören. Brown gibt nach und verfolgt Macheath. Jenny, als sie ihre Belohnung bei Peachum abholen will, verrät erneut seinen Aufenthaltsort, bei der Prostituierten Suky Tawdry. Peachum gibt Brown, der ihn verhaften will, Macheats Aufenthaltsort preis und droht mit einer Störung des Krönungszuges, sollte er nicht Macheath rechtzeitig gefangen nehmen. Brown gibt der Erpressung nach, derweil fährt Polly zu Lucy, um Macheats Aufenthaltsort zu erfahren. Lucy gibt zu, die Schwangerschaft nur vorgegeben zu haben. Sie versöhnen sich. Wieder unterbricht die Mutter. Macheath wurde wieder gefangengenommen, und Polly soll sich das Witwenkleid überstreifen. Macheath versucht das Geld zur Bestechung aufzubringen, aber seine Gang lässt ihn in Stich, geht lieber zum Krönungszug, auch Polly will ihm nicht das Geld geben. Spelunken-Jenny besucht ihn. Alle wohnen bei, wie er den Gang zum Galgen unternimmt. Kurz bevor er hängt, wird er anlässlich der Krönung begnadigt, bekommt ein Schloss und eine lebenslange Rente.
… also die Polizei ist korrupt, der Aufseher lässt sich bestechen, die Frauen fühlen sich von Verbrechern angezogen, nicht von braven Durchschnittsbürgern. Lieber mit Mördern durchbrennen, als ein langweiliges Leben führen. Mackie Messer erscheint wie das Stirnersche Individuum, das frei, spontan agiert. Pläne durchkreuzt er, schlägt er in den Wind. Er lässt sich treiben, wird als Frauenheld inszeniert, selbst Pollys Mutter verfällt ihm.
… viele geklaute, teilweise kaum umformulierte Francois Villon Verse. Eigenartiges Durcheinander, etwas anarchistisch angehaucht. Die Perspektive Brechts bleibt hedonistisch, anarcho-syndikalistisch, noch Banden- und Individuum-orientiert, mit einer Form des charismatischen Anführers wie Mackie Messer, individualistische Rachefeldzüge wie die von Seeräuber-Jenny, Unzuverlässigkeit, Unzurechenbarkeit der Triebe und Bedürfnisse, die über das Handeln dominieren. --> 2 Sterne
Komposition: Brecht erzeugt ein gelungenes Beispiel für das epische Theater, das irritieren und wahrnehmungserweiternd wirken möchte. Das Ende bleibt unverständlich, zu beliebig, zu sehr ein deus ex machina, um zu beruhigen. Eigentlich müsste Mackie Messer sterben. Diese Irritation funktioniert als Ansatzpunkt, wie aus der Gewaltspirale und der korrupten Welt zu entfliehen sei. Eine Möglichkeit wäre eben der Generalstreik, die Organisation der Unterdrückten – das epische Theater schreibt aber die Lösung nicht vor, sie legt sie nahe, engt den Problemlösungsraum nicht ein. Nicht wie in „Die Maßnahme“. --> 3 Sterne
Leseerlebnis: Hat mich streckenweise gelangweilt, bspw. die Möbelherumschieberei, oder diese Retardierung der zweiten Verhaftung von Mackie Messer, oder dieses dümmliche Eifersuchtsgeplänkel zwischen Polly und Lucy, überhaupt erscheint mir das Stück fast wie ein Skizze, sodass es kein Wunder nimmt, dass ein Roman über den Stoff von Brecht geschrieben wurde. Es ist ja eine Opera buffa über die Faulheit und Schlechtigkeit der Menschen. Mehr auch nicht. --> 3 Sterne
Inhalt: 2/5 Sterne (unstrukturierte Gangsterstory)
Komposition: 3/5 Sterne (Provokation)
Leseerlebnis: 3/5 Sterne (Schenkelklopferlieder)
Brechts Version von John Gays und Johann Christoph Pepuschs The Beggar's Opera (1728) stammt aus dem Jahr 1933 und kann als eine Art Übergangsstück vom individualistisch-hedonistischen Stückeschreiber Brecht zur marxistisch-orthodoxen Version seiner selbst verstanden werden, wie sie in Die Maßnahme erscheint. In Die Dreigroschenoper herrsch noch das Lustprinzip vor:
Da steht nun einer fast schon unterm Galgen
Der Kalk ist schon gekauft, ihn einzukalken
Sein Leben hängt an einem brüchigen Fädchen
Und was hat er im Kopf, der Bursche? Mädchen.
Schon unterm Galgen ist er noch bereit.
Das ist die sexuelle Hörigkeit.
Das Stück lässt sich als ein Hochgesang auf den Hedonismus verstehen: Mackie Messer, der Held, auf den alle Frauen fliegen, Krimineller, Mörder, Draufgänger, Dieb und steckbrieflich Gesuchter gegen das Ordnungsprinzip, gegen die Struktur und Organisation. Mackie schießt alles in den Wind, tappt in alle Fallen, weil er von Moment zu Moment leben will. Von Voraussicht hält er nichts. Obwohl ihn alle mehr oder weniger verraten, lieben ihn doch auch alle, irgendwie, denn er bringt Schwung in den Laden:
Ja, renn’ nur nach dem Glück,
Doch renne nicht zu sehr,
Denn alle rennen nach dem Glück,
Das Glück rennt hinterher.
Denn für dieses Leben
Ist der Mensch nicht anspruchslos genug,
Drum ist all sein Streben
Nur ein Selbstbetrug.
In acht Bildern, mit vielen Schlager- und Saufliedern, mit Pep, Wein, Weib und Gesang lässt Brecht es in allen Ecken und Enden von Soho krachen. Seine Vorbilder bleiben, in dieser Zeit noch, François Villons Das Kleine und das Große Testament , von dem er schamlos abschrieb, und auch die Philosophie und Lebenseinstellung eines Max Stirners aus Der Einzige und sein Eigentum . Mit dem Ende markiert er ein deus ex machina, das gemäß des epischen Theaters zum Nachdenken anregt. Es führt über das Stück selbst hinaus, in welchem alle korrupt und raffgierig und notgeil sind. Eine neue Ordnung muss herhalten. Brecht findet sie im orthodoxen Marxismus.
Die Dreigroschenoper erscheint als Lustspiel, als Kneipen- und Bänkelgesang, als eine Form der Travestie-, Minne- und Satiregesang. Der Wortwitz bleibt restriktiv, die Sprache zum Schenkelklopfen einfach und provokant und die Figurenzeichnung karikierend. Spannung stellt sich nicht ein. Dynamik gibt es so gut wie gar nicht. Von Glaubwürdigkeit zu sprechen, geht am Schelmencharakter des Lustspiels vorbei. Was bleibt: Eine gute Zeit. Mehr aber auch nicht.
---------------------------------
---------------------------------
Details – ab hier Spoilergefahr (zur Erinnerung für mich):
---------------------------------
---------------------------------
Inhalt: Zusammenfassung/Inhaltsangabe: Macheath, Mackie Messer, treibt mit seiner Banditenbande sein Unwesen in Soho. Das Stück beginnt mit der Aufzählung seiner Untaten: 2 Morde, 30 Einbrüche, 23 Straßenüberfälle, Brandstiftung, weitere vorsätzliche Morde und Verführung von Minderjährigen. Jonathan Peachum, der eine Bettlerbande organisiert und mittels kommunikativer Täuschung zu Geld zu kommen versucht, sorgt sich um seine Tochter, Polly, die mit Macheath anbandelt und ihn nach nur wenigen Tagen in einem Pferdestall heiratet. Peachum außer sich sorgt nun dafür, dass Macheath, der bislang von seinem Polizisten-Buddy Brown geschützt worden ist, nun steckbrieflich gesucht wird. Polly warnt Macheath, übernimmt seinen Posten als Gangsterboss und bittet ihn, nicht ins Bordell zu gehen, wo er mit Sicherheit gefunden wird. Macheath geht aber ins Bordell, wo ihn Jenny, von Pollys Mutter vorgewarnt, an die Polizei verpfeift, vor allem auch, weil Macheath ihre Liebesbeziehung und Zuhälter-Prostituierte-Verbindung einseitig beendet hat. Macheath wird abgeführt. Im Gefängnis befürchtet nun Macheath, dass seine Affäre mit Lucy, der Tochter seines besten Freundes Brown, auffliegt und versucht den Wärter Smith zu bestechen. Schon besucht sie ihn, offensichtlich schwanger. Es kommt zu einer Eifersuchtsszene zwischen Polly und Lucy, die von Pollys Mutter unterbrochen wird. Nach der Szene hilft Lucy Macheath bei der Flucht. Brown will die Verfolgung nicht aufnehmen, Peachum droht, den Krönungszug empfindlich mit seiner Bande zu stören. Brown gibt nach und verfolgt Macheath. Jenny, als sie ihre Belohnung bei Peachum abholen will, verrät erneut seinen Aufenthaltsort, bei der Prostituierten Suky Tawdry. Peachum gibt Brown, der ihn verhaften will, Macheats Aufenthaltsort preis und droht mit einer Störung des Krönungszuges, sollte er nicht Macheath rechtzeitig gefangen nehmen. Brown gibt der Erpressung nach, derweil fährt Polly zu Lucy, um Macheats Aufenthaltsort zu erfahren. Lucy gibt zu, die Schwangerschaft nur vorgegeben zu haben. Sie versöhnen sich. Wieder unterbricht die Mutter. Macheath wurde wieder gefangengenommen, und Polly soll sich das Witwenkleid überstreifen. Macheath versucht das Geld zur Bestechung aufzubringen, aber seine Gang lässt ihn in Stich, geht lieber zum Krönungszug, auch Polly will ihm nicht das Geld geben. Spelunken-Jenny besucht ihn. Alle wohnen bei, wie er den Gang zum Galgen unternimmt. Kurz bevor er hängt, wird er anlässlich der Krönung begnadigt, bekommt ein Schloss und eine lebenslange Rente.
… also die Polizei ist korrupt, der Aufseher lässt sich bestechen, die Frauen fühlen sich von Verbrechern angezogen, nicht von braven Durchschnittsbürgern. Lieber mit Mördern durchbrennen, als ein langweiliges Leben führen. Mackie Messer erscheint wie das Stirnersche Individuum, das frei, spontan agiert. Pläne durchkreuzt er, schlägt er in den Wind. Er lässt sich treiben, wird als Frauenheld inszeniert, selbst Pollys Mutter verfällt ihm.
… viele geklaute, teilweise kaum umformulierte Francois Villon Verse. Eigenartiges Durcheinander, etwas anarchistisch angehaucht. Die Perspektive Brechts bleibt hedonistisch, anarcho-syndikalistisch, noch Banden- und Individuum-orientiert, mit einer Form des charismatischen Anführers wie Mackie Messer, individualistische Rachefeldzüge wie die von Seeräuber-Jenny, Unzuverlässigkeit, Unzurechenbarkeit der Triebe und Bedürfnisse, die über das Handeln dominieren. --> 2 Sterne
Komposition: Brecht erzeugt ein gelungenes Beispiel für das epische Theater, das irritieren und wahrnehmungserweiternd wirken möchte. Das Ende bleibt unverständlich, zu beliebig, zu sehr ein deus ex machina, um zu beruhigen. Eigentlich müsste Mackie Messer sterben. Diese Irritation funktioniert als Ansatzpunkt, wie aus der Gewaltspirale und der korrupten Welt zu entfliehen sei. Eine Möglichkeit wäre eben der Generalstreik, die Organisation der Unterdrückten – das epische Theater schreibt aber die Lösung nicht vor, sie legt sie nahe, engt den Problemlösungsraum nicht ein. Nicht wie in „Die Maßnahme“. --> 3 Sterne
Leseerlebnis: Hat mich streckenweise gelangweilt, bspw. die Möbelherumschieberei, oder diese Retardierung der zweiten Verhaftung von Mackie Messer, oder dieses dümmliche Eifersuchtsgeplänkel zwischen Polly und Lucy, überhaupt erscheint mir das Stück fast wie ein Skizze, sodass es kein Wunder nimmt, dass ein Roman über den Stoff von Brecht geschrieben wurde. Es ist ja eine Opera buffa über die Faulheit und Schlechtigkeit der Menschen. Mehr auch nicht. --> 3 Sterne
February 25, 2018
With the "Threepenny Opera", Brecht unintentionally undermined his own poetic concept of the "epic theater" by having Kurt Weill compose some of the most stirring songs ever written in German. Brecht's theatrical concept was to turn away from illusion and immersion and to confront audiences with political realities and then discuss them dialectically in the course of the play - i.e., he wanted his audience to leave the theatre not entranced, but full of new awareness.
So while the texts of the "Threepenny Opera" are clearly written with this goal in mind, the reason why it became and has stayed so immensely popular is the accessible and rousing music - the combination of societal criticism and musical extravaganza was fresh and exciting when the musical drama (it's not really an opera) was first staged in Berlin in 1928.
While the story itself takes place in Victorian England (it was modeled after John Gay's The Beggar's Opera), Brecht citicizes his contemporary society in the Weimar Republic. The texts discuss the hybris of the bourgeoisie and how crime is a systemic problem in which the rich and the poor are entangled, but for different reasons. The story stars iconic characters like Mack the Knife (Mackie Messer), Low-Dive Jenny (Spelunken-Jenny) and Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum, the king of the beggars. I am generally critical of Brecht's heightened pedagocical impetus because it is sometimes short of condescension, and the aforementioned poetic concept also tends to lead to the creation of two-dimensional characters for the sake of argument, so honestly, I don't think it's a particularly well-crafted story, but the music counterbalances and elevates it to a degree that turns it into a must-hear.
And to be fair to old Berti, there are also some good punchlines: Every German knows the saying "Erst kommt das Fressen, dann kommt die Moral" ("First comes the feeding, then morality") which means that it is easy for the well-situated to condemn the wrongdoings of the hungry and the desperate ("You gentlemen who tell us/ how to live properly,/ and how to avoid all sins and wrongdoings:/ First you must give us food,/ then we can talk./ (...) First comes the feeding, then morality." - sorry for the clumsy translation).
So do yourself a favor: Don't read this, listen to it or, even better, watch it live. Here are some links to the most popular songs:
"Die Moritate von Mackie Messer", sung by Brecht himself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QXJ3...
English version "Mack the Knife", sung by Louis Armstrong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-lHr...
"Die Seeräuber-Jenny", sung by Lotte Lenya in the movie version from 1931: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec0cl...
English version "Pirate Jenny", sung by Nina Simone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7awW...
So while the texts of the "Threepenny Opera" are clearly written with this goal in mind, the reason why it became and has stayed so immensely popular is the accessible and rousing music - the combination of societal criticism and musical extravaganza was fresh and exciting when the musical drama (it's not really an opera) was first staged in Berlin in 1928.
While the story itself takes place in Victorian England (it was modeled after John Gay's The Beggar's Opera), Brecht citicizes his contemporary society in the Weimar Republic. The texts discuss the hybris of the bourgeoisie and how crime is a systemic problem in which the rich and the poor are entangled, but for different reasons. The story stars iconic characters like Mack the Knife (Mackie Messer), Low-Dive Jenny (Spelunken-Jenny) and Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum, the king of the beggars. I am generally critical of Brecht's heightened pedagocical impetus because it is sometimes short of condescension, and the aforementioned poetic concept also tends to lead to the creation of two-dimensional characters for the sake of argument, so honestly, I don't think it's a particularly well-crafted story, but the music counterbalances and elevates it to a degree that turns it into a must-hear.
And to be fair to old Berti, there are also some good punchlines: Every German knows the saying "Erst kommt das Fressen, dann kommt die Moral" ("First comes the feeding, then morality") which means that it is easy for the well-situated to condemn the wrongdoings of the hungry and the desperate ("You gentlemen who tell us/ how to live properly,/ and how to avoid all sins and wrongdoings:/ First you must give us food,/ then we can talk./ (...) First comes the feeding, then morality." - sorry for the clumsy translation).
So do yourself a favor: Don't read this, listen to it or, even better, watch it live. Here are some links to the most popular songs:
"Die Moritate von Mackie Messer", sung by Brecht himself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QXJ3...
English version "Mack the Knife", sung by Louis Armstrong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-lHr...
"Die Seeräuber-Jenny", sung by Lotte Lenya in the movie version from 1931: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec0cl...
English version "Pirate Jenny", sung by Nina Simone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7awW...
October 12, 2018
Or is it only those who have the money who can enter the land of milk and honey?
There were stirrings when I read in David Simon's Homicide about the West Baltimore murders which didn't merit a line in the newspaper. Homo Sacer, Agamben
Perhaps a phrase in the Sebald poem offered a subtle nudge to this reluctant reader. Perhaps it was an image of Ho Chi Minh in Fredrik Logevall's seminal Embers of War-- the thin, proud leader speaking to a congress of the French Communist Party, all of them white, bloated and indifferent?
All those flickering images from Pabst's film--it is a shock that I didn't reach for this play before. The 18C play of John Gray is drenched in Brecht's mordant wit adapted, embellished and reborn with grim musings on sexuality and patriotism, emerging strident and timeless.
There were stirrings when I read in David Simon's Homicide about the West Baltimore murders which didn't merit a line in the newspaper. Homo Sacer, Agamben
Perhaps a phrase in the Sebald poem offered a subtle nudge to this reluctant reader. Perhaps it was an image of Ho Chi Minh in Fredrik Logevall's seminal Embers of War-- the thin, proud leader speaking to a congress of the French Communist Party, all of them white, bloated and indifferent?
All those flickering images from Pabst's film--it is a shock that I didn't reach for this play before. The 18C play of John Gray is drenched in Brecht's mordant wit adapted, embellished and reborn with grim musings on sexuality and patriotism, emerging strident and timeless.
December 4, 2007
As a hardcore boho 'Beat' kid, I was raised with the soundtrack of Kurt Weil/Bertolt Brecht's "Threepenny Opera." In fact, Lotte Lenya was probably the first singing voice I heard after my Mom - who used to sing to me when I was a little child.
Many years later I read the play/musical and was taken back at its cynical look in how society works. It's an amazing piece of theater and the music is and will always be superb.
Many years later I read the play/musical and was taken back at its cynical look in how society works. It's an amazing piece of theater and the music is and will always be superb.
September 6, 2021
As Mary Poppins would put it: 'Practically perfect in every possible way'.
I'm missing theatre and concert performances in this era of Covid19 badly and the recent local literary festival has been postponed for 3 months until this most recent lockdown has eased.
So, a book of plays entices although can't quite encapsulate the sheer joy of live performance but this musical play comes so very close, particularly with those fantastic jaunty jazzy songs by Kurt Weill. Add in Lotte Lenya Louis Armstrong and Nina Simone and I'm in heaven....
Then there's the lyrics, this translation by Ralph Manheim and John Willett of "The Ballad of Mack the Knife":
See the shark with teeth like razors.
All can read his open face.
And Macheath has got a knife, but
Not in such an obvious place.
See the shark, how red his fins are
As he slashes at his prey.
Mac the Knife wears white kid gloves which
Give the minimum away.
However, by the mid1950s, this is how it goes:
Oh, the shark has pretty teeth dear
And he shows 'em, pearly white
Just a jack knife has Macheath dear
And he keeps it way out of sight
When that shark bites with his teeth, dear
Scarlet billows begin to spread
Fancy gloves though has Macheath dear
So there's never, never a trace of red.
Even better, in my opinion. Just a great number to introduce the anti-hero! Then, there's "Pirate Jenny", a similar vein.
It's a rollicking bawdy piece of musical theatre, adapted from The Beggar's Opera, written by John Gay in the early 18th century with plenty of cutthroat villians and suffering victims, as a parody of Handel's operas. It was adapted by a communist playwright and his collective and Jewish composer. Set in Victorian Soho, and first performed in 1928, it has travelled the world and is still performed in its entirety to this day. Comic, tragic and wonderful satire but plenty to make you think!
What more can I say, just brilliant....pum, pum, pum, pum....pum, pum, pum. (Goes off humming "Mack the Knife".)
I'm missing theatre and concert performances in this era of Covid19 badly and the recent local literary festival has been postponed for 3 months until this most recent lockdown has eased.
So, a book of plays entices although can't quite encapsulate the sheer joy of live performance but this musical play comes so very close, particularly with those fantastic jaunty jazzy songs by Kurt Weill. Add in Lotte Lenya Louis Armstrong and Nina Simone and I'm in heaven....
Then there's the lyrics, this translation by Ralph Manheim and John Willett of "The Ballad of Mack the Knife":
See the shark with teeth like razors.
All can read his open face.
And Macheath has got a knife, but
Not in such an obvious place.
See the shark, how red his fins are
As he slashes at his prey.
Mac the Knife wears white kid gloves which
Give the minimum away.
However, by the mid1950s, this is how it goes:
Oh, the shark has pretty teeth dear
And he shows 'em, pearly white
Just a jack knife has Macheath dear
And he keeps it way out of sight
When that shark bites with his teeth, dear
Scarlet billows begin to spread
Fancy gloves though has Macheath dear
So there's never, never a trace of red.
Even better, in my opinion. Just a great number to introduce the anti-hero! Then, there's "Pirate Jenny", a similar vein.
It's a rollicking bawdy piece of musical theatre, adapted from The Beggar's Opera, written by John Gay in the early 18th century with plenty of cutthroat villians and suffering victims, as a parody of Handel's operas. It was adapted by a communist playwright and his collective and Jewish composer. Set in Victorian Soho, and first performed in 1928, it has travelled the world and is still performed in its entirety to this day. Comic, tragic and wonderful satire but plenty to make you think!
What more can I say, just brilliant....pum, pum, pum, pum....pum, pum, pum. (Goes off humming "Mack the Knife".)
March 10, 2015
انسان با چه زندگی میکند؟ بیوقفه در حال شکنجه کردن، محروم ساختن، تکه پاره کردن، بریدن سر و دریدن انسان است.
انسان تنها در فراموشی زندگی می کند و بی وقفه فراموش می کند که انسان است.
انسان تنها در فراموشی زندگی می کند و بی وقفه فراموش می کند که انسان است.
November 18, 2019
Una commedia surreale, che mette in scena prostitute, criminali ed imbroglioni senza filtri e senza moralismi; anzi, tutti i personaggi sono ben fieri della loro turpitudine, vista come l'unico modo per vivere e sopravvivere. E' un cinismo allegro però quello descritto da Brecht: i protagonisti sono macchiette bidimensionali che pensano solo ai propri interessi, ma consapevoli che la natura umana e in generale la società non permettono di fare altrimenti e lo accettano di buon grado, non certo tormentati da rimorsi di coscienza.
La critica al capitalismo e alla borghesia è evidente e feroce, non si salva nulla nella ricostruzione dell'autore: non la famiglia, non gli amici e nemmeno le istituzioni, come dimostra l'assurda conclusione.
Purtroppo per quanto io abbia apprezzato la vivacità della storia ed il messaggio che vuole comunicare, è evidente che questo è un testo pensato per essere rappresentato: su carta si percepisce solo qualche eco della potenza comunicativa che deve avere a teatro, fra ballate rivolte al pubblico e cartelli che rompono la quarta parete. Stando così le cose non ne consiglio la lettura, è l'approccio meno indicato per una commedia basata quasi totalmente sulle atmosfere.
La critica al capitalismo e alla borghesia è evidente e feroce, non si salva nulla nella ricostruzione dell'autore: non la famiglia, non gli amici e nemmeno le istituzioni, come dimostra l'assurda conclusione.
Purtroppo per quanto io abbia apprezzato la vivacità della storia ed il messaggio che vuole comunicare, è evidente che questo è un testo pensato per essere rappresentato: su carta si percepisce solo qualche eco della potenza comunicativa che deve avere a teatro, fra ballate rivolte al pubblico e cartelli che rompono la quarta parete. Stando così le cose non ne consiglio la lettura, è l'approccio meno indicato per una commedia basata quasi totalmente sulle atmosfere.
October 30, 2023
It is definitely difficult to rate a play, and more difficult even to rate an opera, because they are supposed to be seen and heard on a stage rather than read on pages where the music and songs and expressions cannot be reflected. So I am sure I would have given a better rating if I’d seen this play performed in fromt of me rather than reading of it in a book. All that aside though, the wit and humour and ideas behind this play are great enough to be enjoyed even on paper.
The Threepenny Opera, however, would’ve never existed without the revival of John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera which is a description of 18th century London low life. The plot itself is almost entirely the same as Gay’s plot, but as opposed to London, here images of Berlin low life and bourgeois high life find expression through Brecht’s approach and the play becomes a critique of Germany of the early 20th century. As was his style, Brecht also creates a play with unique songs which shows one thing after another, where each scene existed for itself and the links between events were deliberately severed, generating a series of isolated images which the audience had to work to connect. So the performance is broken down into clearly marked segments.
Brecht’s constant emphasis was that the audience should be actively critical rather than passively receptive of the play. He wanted to use drama to help the audience to establish new ways of acting upon their real world. He also understood the need for drama to be entertaining. So his intention was to develop a dialectical relationship with the audience with an interactive relationship involving the audience in consciously considering the situations and alternatives faced by the stage characters. Brecht’s criteria were to lay bear society’s causal network, showing the audience the ways in which human action is determined by people’s social positions and expectations. He wanted to show that what are assumed to be eternal truths are simply views that reinforce the power of those in power. He championed the working class by showing their capacity to resolve basic issues of survival.
The Threepenny Opera, however, would’ve never existed without the revival of John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera which is a description of 18th century London low life. The plot itself is almost entirely the same as Gay’s plot, but as opposed to London, here images of Berlin low life and bourgeois high life find expression through Brecht’s approach and the play becomes a critique of Germany of the early 20th century. As was his style, Brecht also creates a play with unique songs which shows one thing after another, where each scene existed for itself and the links between events were deliberately severed, generating a series of isolated images which the audience had to work to connect. So the performance is broken down into clearly marked segments.
Brecht’s constant emphasis was that the audience should be actively critical rather than passively receptive of the play. He wanted to use drama to help the audience to establish new ways of acting upon their real world. He also understood the need for drama to be entertaining. So his intention was to develop a dialectical relationship with the audience with an interactive relationship involving the audience in consciously considering the situations and alternatives faced by the stage characters. Brecht’s criteria were to lay bear society’s causal network, showing the audience the ways in which human action is determined by people’s social positions and expectations. He wanted to show that what are assumed to be eternal truths are simply views that reinforce the power of those in power. He championed the working class by showing their capacity to resolve basic issues of survival.
May 14, 2021
Non c'è niente da fare, il teatro va visto a teatro - e non letto su carta; Brecht poi, con tutte le sue canzoni, è assolutamente perdente in libro. Bella piece, ma sono certa che vista ed ascoltata - magari con la meravigliosa voce della da poco dipartita Milva - dal vivo debba fare tutto un altro effetto
Voi che alla retta vita ci esortate
e ad evitare il fango del peccato,
prima di tutto fateci mangiare
e poi parlate pure a perdifiato.
Voi che alla vostra ciccia tenete e al nostro onore,
date ascolto, sappiatelo, è così:
solo saziato l'uomo può farsi migliore!
Pochi discorsi, il punto è tutto qui.
Della gran forma di pane, una fetta
anche ai reietti e ai poverelli spetta.
Voi che alla retta vita ci esortate
e ad evitare il fango del peccato,
prima di tutto fateci mangiare
e poi parlate pure a perdifiato.
Voi che alla vostra ciccia tenete e al nostro onore,
date ascolto, sappiatelo, è così:
solo saziato l'uomo può farsi migliore!
Pochi discorsi, il punto è tutto qui.
Della gran forma di pane, una fetta
anche ai reietti e ai poverelli spetta.
October 26, 2017
2/10. I understand that this is one of the Great Masters of Theatre. I learned in class that Brecht made a tremendous impact on theatre and started his own theatrical tradition. I also learned that the whole signs-device and didactical bits were very novel in his time. But it really, really disappointed all of my expectations. I even saw it live and it definitely was a flop. It did not deliver on any of the promised scandal or excitement. The musical pieces were random and did not add much. The characters were all unlikeable and the plot rather boring. It's like an inferior version of Oliver Twist, and that is pretty much all I have to say about it.
September 26, 2023
Das wird sicher nicht mein liebster Brecht. An manchen Stellen blitzt zwar ein subtiler Humor durch, der mir sehr gut gefällt. Insgesamt bleibt die Geschichte doch eher blass. Die Musik ist natürlich ein Highlight, auf dem Papier wirken die Texte aber einfach nicht ganz so gut. Besser gefallen haben mir die im Anhang aufgeführten alternativen Texte aus den 40ern.
April 13, 2021
I listened to an audio play with all songs.
I've seen this play before and really like it.
I've seen this play before and really like it.
December 17, 2025
Was ist ein Dietrich gegen eine Aktie? Was ist ein Einbruch in eine Bank gegen die Gründung einer Bank? (S. 94)
Die Dreigroschenoper war eine interessante Erfahrung. Auf der einen Seite gefällt Brechts marxistische Kritik und einige Formulierungen sind sprachlich herausragend, andererseits gefällt die Komposition nicht, ist die Handlung über weite Strecken willkürlich, sind die Charaktere unschlüssig und inkohärent. Während die Moriat von Mackie Messer zu Recht berühmt-berüchtigt ist, auch der Schlusschoral toll und besonders in der zweiten Hälfte immer wieder treffende Aphorismen zu finden sind, sind viele der Lieder und Unterhaltungen holprig oder beliebig. Daher unentschlossene drei Sterne von mir.
Das Gesetz ist einzig und allein gemacht zur Ausbeutung derer, die es nicht verstehen oder die es aus nackter Not nicht befolgen können. Und wer von dieser Ausbeutung seinen Brocken abbekommen will, muß sich streng an das Gesetz halten. (S. 75)
Interessant ist es dann noch, ein vielverwendetes Brecht-Zitat im vom Autoren beabsichtigten Zusammenhang zu sehen und damit nicht (dies passiert durchaus anderswo im Stück) als Kritik an menschlicher Unmoral, sondern vielmehr als Kritik an der strukturellen Gewalt, die diese erzeugt:
Ihr Herrn, die ihr uns lehrt, wie man brav leben
Und Sünd und Missetat vermeiden kann
Zuerst müßt ihr uns was zu fressen geben
Dann könnt ihr reden: damit fängt es an.
Ihr, die ihr euren Wanst und unsre Bravheit liebt
Das eine wisset ein für allemal:
Wie ihr es immer dreht und wie ihr's immer schiebt
Erst kommt das Fressen, dann kommt die Moral. (S. 69)
Und so entsteht aus dieser Kritik ein 1948 ergänzter Schlusschoral, der grandios sein könnte, wenn das vorangegangene Stück Die heilige Johanna der Schlachthöfe gewesen wäre; doch zur Dreigroschenoper, zum Mörder und Vergewaltiger Macheath passt er nicht.
Verfolgt das kleine Unrecht nicht; in Bälde Erfriert es schon von selbst, denn es ist kalt:
Bedenkt das Dunkel und die große Kälte In diesem Tale, das von Jammer schallt.
Zieht gen die großen Räuber jetzt zu Felde Und fällt sie allesamt und fällt sie bald:
Von ihnen rührt das Dunkel und die große Kälte Sie machen, daß dies Tal von Jammer schallt. (S. 109)
June 16, 2025
Quando il crimine paga
Ballad opera liberamente ispirata a L'opera del mendicante di John Gay, che mette a nudo una società corrotta, ipocrita e profondamente diseguale. Attraverso una satira tagliente, Brecht denuncia la borghesia e il capitalismo descrivendoli come non meno parassitari e immorali della criminalità stessa.
Al centro della storia ci sono Mackie Messer, un delinquente elegante e spietato, e Peachum, un imprenditore che gestisce un impero basato sull’elemosina organizzata. Quando Mackie seduce e sposa Polly, la figlia di Peachum, si crea un cortocircuito tra mondo criminale e borghese: il matrimonio tra i due diventa quindi simbolo di una fusione perfetta tra illegalità e potere legittimo.
Il titolo è già di per sè una dichiarazione satirica: i “tre soldi” stanno ad indicare un’opera di basso valore sia economico (per poveri, mendicanti e banditi) sia morale e sociale, proprio come i suoi protagonisti. Ed è anche un modo ironico per prendere le distanze dalle “grandi” opere liriche, pompose e borghesi.
Ammetto che i testi teatrali non sono proprio il mio genere e, in questo caso, ho fatto ancora più fatica a farmi coinvolgere: i dialoghi sono spesso interrotti da canzoni che all’inizio mi spiazzavano. Ma ho scoperto che questo è un tratto distintivo di Brecht, legato alla sua idea di "teatro": le canzoni servono infatti a creare un effetto di straniamento, cioè a spezzare l’immedesimazione per spingere lo spettatore a una riflessione critica.
Probabilmente mi sarò persa qualche riferimento specifico alla società inglese e alla monarchia, ma ho apprezzato le espressioni colorite (per non dire proprio sporche e brutali!) che attraversano tutta l’opera: linguaggio duro, diretto, volutamente basso, usato non per scioccare ma per mostrare senza filtri la miseria morale della società.
E tra delinquenti in giacca e cravatta e poveracci con il cappello in mano, Brecht ci mostra che il confine tra legalità e crimine è, in fondo, solo una questione di classe.
Ballad opera liberamente ispirata a L'opera del mendicante di John Gay, che mette a nudo una società corrotta, ipocrita e profondamente diseguale. Attraverso una satira tagliente, Brecht denuncia la borghesia e il capitalismo descrivendoli come non meno parassitari e immorali della criminalità stessa.
Al centro della storia ci sono Mackie Messer, un delinquente elegante e spietato, e Peachum, un imprenditore che gestisce un impero basato sull’elemosina organizzata. Quando Mackie seduce e sposa Polly, la figlia di Peachum, si crea un cortocircuito tra mondo criminale e borghese: il matrimonio tra i due diventa quindi simbolo di una fusione perfetta tra illegalità e potere legittimo.
Il titolo è già di per sè una dichiarazione satirica: i “tre soldi” stanno ad indicare un’opera di basso valore sia economico (per poveri, mendicanti e banditi) sia morale e sociale, proprio come i suoi protagonisti. Ed è anche un modo ironico per prendere le distanze dalle “grandi” opere liriche, pompose e borghesi.
Ammetto che i testi teatrali non sono proprio il mio genere e, in questo caso, ho fatto ancora più fatica a farmi coinvolgere: i dialoghi sono spesso interrotti da canzoni che all’inizio mi spiazzavano. Ma ho scoperto che questo è un tratto distintivo di Brecht, legato alla sua idea di "teatro": le canzoni servono infatti a creare un effetto di straniamento, cioè a spezzare l’immedesimazione per spingere lo spettatore a una riflessione critica.
Probabilmente mi sarò persa qualche riferimento specifico alla società inglese e alla monarchia, ma ho apprezzato le espressioni colorite (per non dire proprio sporche e brutali!) che attraversano tutta l’opera: linguaggio duro, diretto, volutamente basso, usato non per scioccare ma per mostrare senza filtri la miseria morale della società.
E tra delinquenti in giacca e cravatta e poveracci con il cappello in mano, Brecht ci mostra che il confine tra legalità e crimine è, in fondo, solo una questione di classe.
May 22, 2024
kes on suurem kurjategija: see, kes röövib panga või see, kes selle asutab
March 17, 2016
Known (i suppose) more for the creation of mack the knife (later to become a popular song) and brecht for his art; this has much more to offer than at first appears. It can be brutal and as damaging as life could be then but tis' not without its humanity from unlooked for sources. Its nature is shocked and dirty much as any dickens novel could be seen from the outside. Harshness then was just a fact of life and brecht saw it as such. An arbitary force from heaven sent to make us all need redemption. The pain and the piss and the shit all horrors sent by divine god to make us know that this life is simply a vale of tears and eternal happiness waits for us in death. The horror that was mack the knife was simply a way of setting us free free from all; to happinies, for is that not all we humans are. A means to and end. Eternal damnation or salvation.
July 6, 2025
Not the best in terms of pure reading experience, but still worth reading. It is a ballad opera with numerous songs incorporated, and even though they are integral to the piece, they interrupt the flow (at least for me).
Seeing it live is far more enjoyable, and I would recommend it over reading the script as this play was clearly meant to be experienced with its musical component.
My rating:
Book - 3/5
Live performance - 5/5
I think it's important to see the play as a whole, not just as a script. Therefore, I give it an average rating of 4/5.
Seeing it live is far more enjoyable, and I would recommend it over reading the script as this play was clearly meant to be experienced with its musical component.
My rating:
Book - 3/5
Live performance - 5/5
I think it's important to see the play as a whole, not just as a script. Therefore, I give it an average rating of 4/5.
April 16, 2021
#40
Η ΟΠΕΡΑ ΤΗΣ ΠΕΝΤΑΡΑΣ
Bertolt Brecht
🎼"Αξιότιμες κυρίες, δεσποινίδες και κύριοι. Σήμερα θα δείτε και θ'ακουσετε ένα έργο για ζητιάνους. Κι επειδή έτσι που'ναι φτιαγμένο τούτο το έργο, μόνο μυαλά ζητιάνων θα το'χαν σκεφτεί, γι'αυτό το'παμε "Όπερα της πεντάρας" . Είναι μια Όπερα για γέλια,γελάστε λοιπον όσο θέλετε. Κι αν κανένας ενοχληθεί επειδή τούτη εδώ η σαχλαμάρα μοιάζει τόσο με τη ζωη...ε....τι να κάνουμε... ας παρηγορηθούμε πως αυτό που'ναι σήμερα έτσι, αύριο θα 'ναι αλλιώς. " 🎵
Η ΟΠΕΡΑ ΤΗΣ ΠΕΝΤΑΡΑΣ
Bertolt Brecht
🎼"Αξιότιμες κυρίες, δεσποινίδες και κύριοι. Σήμερα θα δείτε και θ'ακουσετε ένα έργο για ζητιάνους. Κι επειδή έτσι που'ναι φτιαγμένο τούτο το έργο, μόνο μυαλά ζητιάνων θα το'χαν σκεφτεί, γι'αυτό το'παμε "Όπερα της πεντάρας" . Είναι μια Όπερα για γέλια,γελάστε λοιπον όσο θέλετε. Κι αν κανένας ενοχληθεί επειδή τούτη εδώ η σαχλαμάρα μοιάζει τόσο με τη ζωη...ε....τι να κάνουμε... ας παρηγορηθούμε πως αυτό που'ναι σήμερα έτσι, αύριο θα 'ναι αλλιώς. " 🎵
October 8, 2023
Spíš tak jako 2.5*. Smysl to moc nedávalo, vtipný to taky úplně nebylo, jen se to docela rychle četlo.
November 10, 2019
Ruffiani, mendicanti, delinquenti e meretrici in scena per una commedia dell’assurdo. L’ingiustizia vince in un ribaltarsi dei ruoli. Il deus ex machina della Regina giunge sul finale non per far valere la giustizia ma per salvare un delinquente. Tre soldi che Brecht guadagna benissimo.
July 31, 2011
I have to say that this is one of the greatest things I have ever read. It is a play that is a fantastic reflection on the gutterly people that inhabit every city, and it shows a compassionate, entertaining reflection of them that criticizes the bourgeois and those in power. I think it also correctly showcases the true monster that is the human man. I think that, no matter what the man we are talking about, we all have the spirits of Mackie and Peachum buried somewhere in our hearts. This is a dazzling play that I have decided I totally want to be a part of... Having read it before I have seen it is an interesting experience, and the next step is to watch the videos I just found on YouTube of a Northweatern University performance that looks really great...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9sMDm...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNbnAF...
In hindsight, I am angry that I missed the Cummings/Lauper performances from a couple of years ago. This is almost a new favorite play, or at least in the top 5...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9sMDm...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNbnAF...
In hindsight, I am angry that I missed the Cummings/Lauper performances from a couple of years ago. This is almost a new favorite play, or at least in the top 5...
November 26, 2013
Came to this thru the cast album, and of course the iconic song.
I needed the story to fill in all the blanks and I am currently reading the material it was sourced off of: The Beggars Opera.
If you can get past some of the biblical preaching and cut to the chase, which to me is the baser impulses of man and the wry, sarcastic and nasty ass character of McHeath and how he gets it over on everyone, well its a hell of a story, Also the 1976 cast album with the wonderful Raul Julia as McHeath is totally worth the effort to find and listen to.
I needed the story to fill in all the blanks and I am currently reading the material it was sourced off of: The Beggars Opera.
If you can get past some of the biblical preaching and cut to the chase, which to me is the baser impulses of man and the wry, sarcastic and nasty ass character of McHeath and how he gets it over on everyone, well its a hell of a story, Also the 1976 cast album with the wonderful Raul Julia as McHeath is totally worth the effort to find and listen to.
October 8, 2011
I don't really have anything to say about this book. Read it in anticipation of the Robert Wilson production a Berlin company at BAM, which I saw last night.
Pretty incredible play. In terms of putting on a production that is unlike almost anything else, this is it. Obviously Robert Wilson is a big star, and skilled at what he does, but the text itself has so much potential in it, and it's fun to think about after seeing it all the ways you could push it out.
Pretty incredible play. In terms of putting on a production that is unlike almost anything else, this is it. Obviously Robert Wilson is a big star, and skilled at what he does, but the text itself has so much potential in it, and it's fun to think about after seeing it all the ways you could push it out.
August 1, 2013
My favourite Brecht play of all time. But is it a good read? Not really because to state the obvious: this is not a "read", it's a play (or rather a musical) and plays are for playing out on stage. Although one of Brecht's special gifts was to write plays that are infinitely readable, this one's strength lies way more in the musical score by Weill (see "Mac the Knife"/ "Pirate Jenny") than the story itself, which is a potpourri of well known classics stewed up in true Brecht style.
November 19, 2023
Was soll man zu solch einem Klassiker groß sagen, wenn man keine ausführliche Rezension schreiben will, es ist halt die Dreigroschenoper und allein vom Personal her schon ganz wunderbarer Stoff für Krimileser. Aber das Stück gehört halt auf die Bühne, das Lesen ist fein, aber im Theater macht es mehr her. Rein zur Lektüre bleibt ja da noch der Dreigroschenroman.
March 7, 2016
Duro, spietato e allo steso tempo ironico e surreale. E' la vita del sottobosco umano, in cui il più sano ha la rogna... Forte la messa alla berlina della società dell'epoca, sono curiosa di vederlo rappresentato a teatro.
February 7, 2016
Clubbed me over the head with it's ideology. Headache.
(Die Subtilität geht solange zum Theater, bis sie Brecht.
Das Brecht auf Meinungsfreiheit.
Aua, aua, mein Kopf.)
(Die Subtilität geht solange zum Theater, bis sie Brecht.
Das Brecht auf Meinungsfreiheit.
Aua, aua, mein Kopf.)
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