By Nancy Roche
The Three Penny Opera, playing at The Babcock Theater in Salt Lake City, is a fantastic musical: Book & Lyrics by Bertholt Brecht, Music by Kurt Weill. If you’ve never been to a Brecht production, or even if you have, this is one you shouldn’t miss.
The story isn’t complicated, though it does squirm a bit. It’s set in London with a very colorful collection of accents. Polly Peachum (played by Connor Norton), is the daughter of the leader of a beggar’s syndicate. She marries the local crime king Macheath (played by local professional Mark Fossen.) Her marriage angers her parents (McKenna Kay Jensen and Michael S. Johnson) who scheme with Mack the Knife’s former and current lovers to destroy the slimy but charismatic leader. There are no heroes, but there is a fascinating narrator (Street Singer Austin John Smith.) Watch him. He’s hard to miss. All actors do an amazing job and truly sold their parts. I was entranced. Director Denny Berry uses a deft hand with this cast and it shows, brilliantly.
I will never forget this first experience in the Babcock Theater, the small space under the Pioneer Theater on the University of Utah campus. We laughed, learned and had a good time. The space and atmosphere are compact, but artfully used.
The largely undergraduate cast was supplemented from local professionals, but all of the vocal talents (Musical Direction by Alex Marshall) were striking and impressive. It is an amazingly energetic production. Everything fit the play’s ultimate purpose, which is to say, nothing fits. My favorite aspects of this production, besides all of the clever Brechtian elements, are definitely the costumes by costume designer Megan Jensen. I have never been in such a heaven of black leather, zippers, and safety pins. Very Punk. Amanda French’s hair and makeup also dazzle.
Dan Evans designed the set, which is amazing, but I am giving no details about it as to do so would spoil the surprise. You are going to have to trust me on this one and go see it yourself to find out what I’m talking about. Props to Jack Roach, the lighting designer. His lighting adds to the show in a way that, again, you need to see to understand why I say this.
If anything lacked, it was perhaps the kind of grace and body control that comes with experience. Enjoy the ballet for what it is: disturbed by the ghost of Bertholt Brecht.
Let me explain: the production notes make much of Elisabeth Hauptmann’s input as the play was written and performed in 1928. The notes also mention that it was already an adaptation from an 18th Century production called The Beggar’s Opera, a play cobbled together of popular tunes with common characters. This is all true and very meaningful. It is a symptom of, but does not explain the crazy things that go on in a Brechtian production. And this is an unmistakably Brechtian production. A very brave and well-funded one.
Bertholt Brecht had a singular philosophy about theater. Unlike the greater trend in the 20th Century, which is to create an escapist, immersive experience (falling chandeliers, helicopters, etc.), Brecht held that a theater is useless unless it changes the world outside. He believed the only way to succeed at bettering the world was to constantly remind the audience that they are watching a play, and that everything is fake so that they would understand that we’re all actors: we’re all fake, and the people on the stage are the only ones being honest about it. He created a long list of techniques for this purpose, and this production uses as many as possible. It’s an impressive display of intentionality.
When you see this production (and I think you should), do enjoy the story. Enjoy the characters: appreciate their energy, humor, and voices. The writing is VERY funny at times, and the cast have a great sense of comic timing and irony, but the ladies’ ballads are also tragic, and the finales bitterly angry. Pay attention to the showy and anachronistic elements. Some of them seriously (figuratively) reach out and hit you on the head, but others are more subtle. Count how many times a character refers to the title of the play. Watch for the moments when you are distracted by the lights that have been carefully turned to be visible to the audience. Brecht even borrows a page from Shakespeare, and stages small plays within the play.
Oh, and the punchline: straight to the gut.
I’m going to include a strong content warning for this play. Consider it a very edgy PG-13, or an R for some thematic and visual content. Young children will not be admitted.
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November 7 – 23, 2014 | 7:30 PM (Dark Mon-Wed)
Matinees November 15, 16, 22 & 23 | 2:00 PM
POST PRODUCTION TALKBACK
Please join us for talkbacks with members of the cast, creative team, and U of U professors immediately following the performances on the following dates:
Friday, November 14
Saturday, November 15
Friday, November 21
and Saturday, November 22.
U of U students FREE with Arts Pass or Ucard
Other students: $8.50, Public: $21.00
For group discounts of 20 or more call 801-585-3816.
Tickets available now at Kingsbury Hall www.kingtix.com or by calling 801-581-7100.
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