The Threepenny Opera

The Threepenny Opera is a satire on Weimar Republic bourgeois society set in a mock-Victorian Soho. With Kurt Weill's music, it became a popular hit throughout the western world. This new edition is published in John Willett and Ralph Manhein's classic translation with commentary and notes by Anja Hartl.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 152 pages
Publication date: 10 February 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

One of Bertolt Brecht's most beloved and frequently performed plays, The Threepenny Opera, was first staged in 1928 at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, Berlin (now the home of the Berliner Ensemble). Based on the eighteenth-century The Beggar's Opera by John Gay, the play is a satire on the bourgeois society of the Weimar Republic, but set in a mock-Victorian Soho. With Kurt Weill's music, which was one of the earliest and most successful attempts to introduce the jazz idiom into the theatre, it became a popular hit throughout the western world. This new edition is published here in John Willett and Ralph Manheim's classic translation with commentary and notes by Anja Hartl.

The Threepenny Opera is a play by Bertolt Brecht that was first performed in 1928 at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin. The play is based on the eighteenth-century The Beggar's Opera by John Gay and is set in a mock-Victorian Soho. The play is a satire on the bourgeois society of the Weimar Republic and is accompanied by music by Kurt Weill, one of the earliest and most successful attempts to introduce the jazz idiom into the theatre. The play was a popular hit throughout the western world and is considered one of Brecht's most important works.

The new edition of The Threepenny Opera is published by John Willett and Ralph Manheim in their classic translation with commentary and notes by Anja Hartl. The edition includes a preface by Brecht, an introduction by Willett, and an afterword by Manheim. The commentary and notes provide insight into the historical context and cultural significance of the play, as well as its artistic and theatrical aspects.

The Threepenny Opera is a play that continues to be relevant and influential today, particularly in the context of contemporary social and political issues. The play's satire on the bourgeoisie and its critique of capitalism and consumerism are still relevant in the modern world, and the play's use of music and dance to convey its message is still innovative and powerful. The new edition of The Threepenny Opera is a valuable resource for scholars and theatre enthusiasts alike, and it provides a fresh perspective on this classic play.

Weight: 136g
Dimension: 129 x 197 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350205284