Old 'ThreePenny Opera' Gets New Shine
by Jeff Yoders
THE POST
Proving that a good story can never be told too many times, the OU School of Theater will present The ThreePenny Opera.
The opera is adapted from Bertolt Brecht's 1928 production of the same name. The Brecht production itself was adapted from John Gay's English parody, The Beggar's Opera, written in the 18th century. Marc Blitzstein translated from German to English.
"It's already a generation removed," said director Bill Fisher, an associate professor of theater. Fisher has studied international theater in England and South Africa.
The ThreePenny Opera is different than any of the plays in this year's ShadoWorld's series. Singing and acting converge to create a comic parody about the survival of mankind.
"It's a very simple story, really," Fisher said. "It's a parody of operas that's taken from the point of view of the poorest of the poor."
The play, situated in Soho, N.Y., before the inauguration of America's next president, centers around the gang of Captain MacHeath (Senior Johnny Miles), also known as "Mac the Knife."
MacHeath weaves a web of treachery and deception through the lives of the other principal characters. He marries and then leaves Polly Peachum, daughter of the powerful lord of beggars Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum (graduate student Bruce Pilkenton). Peachum and his wife vow revenge on MacHeath for stealing their daughter and call in the FBI.
Complications arise because the FBI is run by MacHeath's friend from Vietnam and drinking buddy, Jack "Tiger" Brown (graduate student Bill Hairston). What Tiger Brown doesn't know is that MacHeath has impregnated his daughter Lucy (senior Brandy Burre).
"It's odd, because there are really no heroes in this play, no good guys," Miles said. The opera isn't just in the story, though; it's in the presentation.
"It's a high-tech, entertaining show with gorgeous music, lights, sound, television monitors and bright costumes," said guest lighting designer Kurt Bookman.
The music is a mix of opera and early jazz, Fisher said. There's also a lot of urban techno.
Like most of Brecht's work, The ThreePenny Opera tries to directly involve the audience in what is morally happening on stage. Miles summed up Brecht's style best: "We're putting on a play. We know we're putting on a play, but there's a lesson to be learned at the same time."