Based on John Gay's eighteenth century Beggar's Opera, The Threepenny Opera, first staged in 1928 at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin, is a vicious satire on the bourgeois capitalist society of the Weimar Republic, but set in a mock-Victorian Soho. It focuses on the feud between Macheaf - an amoral criminal - and his father in law, a racketeer who controls and exploits London's beggars and is intent on having Macheaf hanged. Despite the resistance by Macheaf's friend the Chief of Police, Macheaf is eventually condemned to hang until in a comic reversal the queen pardons him and grants…mehr
Based on John Gay's eighteenth century Beggar's Opera, The Threepenny Opera, first staged in 1928 at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin, is a vicious satire on the bourgeois capitalist society of the Weimar Republic, but set in a mock-Victorian Soho. It focuses on the feud between Macheaf - an amoral criminal - and his father in law, a racketeer who controls and exploits London's beggars and is intent on having Macheaf hanged. Despite the resistance by Macheaf's friend the Chief of Police, Macheaf is eventually condemned to hang until in a comic reversal the queen pardons him and grants him a title and land. With Kurt Weill's unforgettable music - one of the earliest and most successful attempts to introduce jazz to the theatre - it became a popular hit throughout the western world. Published in Methuen Drama's Modern Classics series in a trusted translation by Ralph Manheim and John Willett, this edition features extensive notes and commentary including an introduction to the play, Brecht's own notes on the play, a full appendix of textual variants, a note by composer Kurt Weill, a transcript of a discussion about the play between Brecht and a theatre director, plus editorial notes on the genesis of the play.Hinweis: Dieser Artikel kann nur an eine deutsche Lieferadresse ausgeliefert werden.
Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) is acknowledged as one of the great dramatists whose work has had a considerable influence on the theatre. His landmark plays include Mother Courage and Her Children, The Threepenny Opera, Life of Galileo, and The Caucasian Chalk Circle.Circle. His plays and dramatic theory are central to the study of modern theatre.
Chronology Contexts - Historical, social and cultural - Political and social climate of the 1920s - Cultural context: the Roaring '20s - Significance of the play for Brecht and for political theatre - 18th century context - 20th century context - Britain vs. Germany; London/East London Genres - Opera/music/theatre - a new theatrical genre - Adaptation - John Gay, The Beggar's Opera - Hybridity: low- and highbrow, emphasis on fun, entertainment in Brechtian theatre - Satire Themes - Who is who? Bourgeois and/or beggar? - Role of the institutions (police, royal family, state) - Corruption, money - Exploitation, human trade, poverty - Morality, asocial vs. social - Love and sexuality, prostitution - Resistance and change - Which opportunities for change are envisioned by the play? Characters Male characters - Peachum empire - Macheath - Tigerbrown Female characters and sexual politics of the play - Mrs Peachum - Polly - Jenny Play as performance - Brechtian principles of theatre-making > emphasis on dialectical theatre > theatricality > actor-audience relationship > deus-ex-machina ending - Music > Kurt Weill's composition > Brechtian opera > The significance of the songs Academic debate - Central strands in scholarship (comparative readings, focus on music and operatic genre) Production history - German productions (Berliner Ensemble; new production announced for January 2021) - English productions - International success (and problems which ensued: misinterpretation, commercialisation, etc.) - Der Dreigroschenprozess (The Threepenny Trial by Bertolt Brecht) - Simon Stephens's recent new version at the National Theatre, UK - Joachim Lang's film Mackie Messer - Brechts Dreigroschenfilm Behind the scenes Interview with playwright Simon Stephens Further reading and viewing THE THREEPENNY OPERA Additional texts Notes
Chronology Contexts - Historical, social and cultural - Political and social climate of the 1920s - Cultural context: the Roaring '20s - Significance of the play for Brecht and for political theatre - 18th century context - 20th century context - Britain vs. Germany; London/East London Genres - Opera/music/theatre - a new theatrical genre - Adaptation - John Gay, The Beggar's Opera - Hybridity: low- and highbrow, emphasis on fun, entertainment in Brechtian theatre - Satire Themes - Who is who? Bourgeois and/or beggar? - Role of the institutions (police, royal family, state) - Corruption, money - Exploitation, human trade, poverty - Morality, asocial vs. social - Love and sexuality, prostitution - Resistance and change - Which opportunities for change are envisioned by the play? Characters Male characters - Peachum empire - Macheath - Tigerbrown Female characters and sexual politics of the play - Mrs Peachum - Polly - Jenny Play as performance - Brechtian principles of theatre-making > emphasis on dialectical theatre > theatricality > actor-audience relationship > deus-ex-machina ending - Music > Kurt Weill's composition > Brechtian opera > The significance of the songs Academic debate - Central strands in scholarship (comparative readings, focus on music and operatic genre) Production history - German productions (Berliner Ensemble; new production announced for January 2021) - English productions - International success (and problems which ensued: misinterpretation, commercialisation, etc.) - Der Dreigroschenprozess (The Threepenny Trial by Bertolt Brecht) - Simon Stephens's recent new version at the National Theatre, UK - Joachim Lang's film Mackie Messer - Brechts Dreigroschenfilm Behind the scenes Interview with playwright Simon Stephens Further reading and viewing THE THREEPENNY OPERA Additional texts Notes
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