The Threepenny Opera – 03 April 2025

Twenty-first century theatre, especially of late, primarily comes in two forms: safe and edgy. But it’s a very specific definition of “edgy”, which has become synonymous with risqué content set to a pounding rock and roll beat. In his time, Bertolt Brecht pushed every boundary in a definition of “edgy” that a hundred years later is still specifically his. The Threepenny Opera, written in 1928 with musical collaborator Kurt Weill is brilliant on every level, most especially because it is timeless and relevant in any setting. BAM and St. Ann’s Warehouse’s presentation of The Threepenny Opera captured the essence of what it means to be Brechtian and was bold in ways that were refreshing escapes from the pieces that make it to large prestigious venues in today’s world.

Brecht’s work demands taking serious characters and giving them outrageous quirks, making fun of their existences in ways that emphasize the absurdity of class structure. Many struggle to enjoy Brecht because these moments take them out of the story. This production at BAM did a fantastic job of integrating the Brechtian physical comedy and frankness into the story such that the audience was fully absorbed into the world, accepting the story telling modality seamlessly as if this is how theatre is typically told. As a critic, I see on average 15 productions a month, and can say with certainty that this is not what contemporary audiences are used to, and I was grateful to see this production fully embraced. The NYC theatre scene needs more diversity in what is produced, especially in not shying away from productions that require a stylistic departure from the norms of our time. It serves a different part of our souls, a part that is currently malnourished.

The Gestalt of the design elements fully supported this vision. The scenic design (Rebecca Ringst) and automation created an abstract world that was practical at times and supported the absurdity at others. In act one, each line set came up at a purposeful, well timed moment in the story, creating more and more depth to the physical space and allowing for intensely beautiful collaborations with lighting design (Ulrich Eh). For its part, lighting struck a balance between artistic moments, and practical moments of hiding people in the shadows or focusing the audience on one narrow detail. The spotlight operators were a little hesitant and missed their marks a little bit, but I did see the very first performance and can acknowledge the difficulty of what was asked of them. Similarly, the band (musical director: Adam Benwi) had a couple of moments where they were not fully together; it worked more in a Brechtian world than it would have in other settings, but was still a little disappointing. Costuming (Dinah Ehm) was absolutely incredible and also at times contributed to the comedy, with beggar’s wife Celia Peachum (Constanze Becker) clad in furs and Lucy (Laura Balzer) in a flapper dress that moved with and against her in truly hilarious ways that added to her character quite wonderfully.

The casting choices valued acting ability over singing ability, which was appropriate for this production. The storytelling was magnetizing because even to non-German speakers, it was clear that the actors were packing a punch with their words. Frequently, the translations were comedically premature or delayed for just a second to get a laugh on the difference in the meaning of what an actor was saying and the tone of how they were saying it. The ensemble supported each other fantastically. One unforgettable moment was the staging of Mack the Knife (Gabriel Schenider)’s hanging turning into him being superman flying above the cast. The lines about discarding morality were particularly poignant, and it was hopeful in today’s day and age to see an unfair system built on who you know and how you know them and how you bribe them, thrown away because the people want to see a different ending to the story.

Despite the theatre teacher assertion that Brecht is supposed to be uncomfortable and expose uncomfortable societal structures, The Threepenny Opera was a delightful departure from the way the modern theatre scene blurs together after a while from overuse of conventions designed to please. This production was unapologetic in its return to theatre that shakes and stirs and quakes and unsettles a person. The journey and story is simple, but the ideas are complex and the fantastic absurdity of the storytelling is sure to fascinate.

I attended this performance on a press pass through BAM’s Director of Brand Storytelling, Sarah Garvey.