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The Threepenny Opera

Theatre

The Threepenny Opera Tickets

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5 based on 13 reviews

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Reviews

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 based on 13 reviews
  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Three Penny Opera Was Wonderful

    by EdwardMichaels on 5/28/14Signature Theatre - Arlington

    An excellent production. Should not be missed. A Brecht classic.

  • Rating: 3 out of 5

    Threepenny was worth one or two

    by madchen13 on 5/21/14Signature Theatre - Arlington

    The theatre was freezing and the chairs not particularly comfortable. The actors were acceptable, but not great. The music was as I remember, but the words were changed and often not for the better. The adaptation was modernized to appeal to a younger audience, but the average age of audience member seemed to be about 75.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    by Anonymous on 5/20/14Signature Theatre - Arlington

    Beautifully dark. Wickedly funny. Very clever staging of a classic show.

  • Rating: 3 out of 5

    3Penny Opera

    by Pathfinder66 on 5/16/14Signature Theatre - Arlington

    this should have been titled "mack is back" or "mack the blade" - i get that signature's mission is to update and revise musicals - but this was not threepenny opera -

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Three Penny: A Real GEM!

    by Grapeful on 5/13/14Signature Theatre - Arlington

    From an intriguing opening-attention-demander to a rousing finale, this keeps your attention and reminds you of the frailty of 'justice'. Plus, it may challenge you to choose between Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin! Wonderful singing voices makes you want to hear the songs again.

  • Rating: 4 out of 5

    Wonderful musical!

    by KlassyKathy on 5/13/14Signature Theatre - Arlington

    We really enjoyed yet another musical at the Signature Theater! The lead actor -- McHeath and the one of the lead actresses -- the one that sang "Mac the Knife" were really good.

  • Rating: 3 out of 5

    Too dark an interpretation.

    by meandmetwo on 5/13/14Signature Theatre - Arlington

    To my mind, the whole point of the original (German) Brecht/Weill work is a comedic take on a dark theme punctuated by sudden "punches to the gut", by some of the songs, reminding the audience that the story within is farcical while the real world is cruel and ugly. Unfortunately, the present production's overall tone throughout is almost so unrelievedly dark as to mitigate the impact of the punches. The over-amplification made hearing this production unpleasant, often obscuring the lyrics. Polly's voice, especially, was unintelligible, coming through the over-amplification as shrill and muddy. I know both the German original (through recording) and the Pabst film. I've attended several other productions of "Threepenny Opera", some superb and others total failures. The best were the several performances I saw over several years of the Blitzstein translation at the Theater de Lys (as it was then known) in New York. That version kept the setting in what the Brecht/Weill original used, in the Victorian era, and was far superior in every aspect to the Signature Theatre's production (based upon British translations and a more or less contemporary setting), including: a proper balance between comedy and unpleasant truth; split-second timing; and first-rate acting by the entire cast.

  • Rating: 3 out of 5

    Interesting interpretation, but...

    by Duzzy on 5/10/14Signature Theatre - Arlington

    Signature's presentation of The Threepenny Opera is a very thought-provoking interpretation that in many ways deepens the impact of the original, sharp satiric intent of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. It makes it crystal-clear that it is not another nice, cute, beloved little musical that's a money-making machine built on the suffering of others (like "Les Miz," for example), but a harsh, grating critique of the moral sins of capitalist society by elevating the most miserable and craven of all to the heights of deification and divine grace, while lambasting all those who prosper on the backs of others' misfortune. The singing and dialogue are extremely loud, jarring, and so deliberately offensive that many staid theater-goers leave at the intermission. You will hardly recognize any of the original music. And there is a great deal of new music that is certainly not of Brecht and Weill's doing, such as the chorus of "Life's a Bitch and Then You Die." While you leave the performance thinking, ah, this is what Brecht really meant, you are also perhaps thinking that this rendition bears as much resemblance to the Brecht/Weill masterpiece as that did, in turn, to the original late-eighteenth century "Beggar's Opera" on which it was based. In that sense, Signature has absolutely no business calling this performance "The Threepenny Opera." It is a very interesting adaptation, a very provocative one, and maybe in the early twenty-first century we need to have our dazed senses insulted with the incredible rage of this performance in order to get the point. But it's not "The Threepenny Opera" and Signature Theater should not represent it as such.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Wonderful production

    by Alix54 on 5/6/14Signature Theater - Arlington

    Fantastic production of a brilliant musical--with incredible performances. I had previously seen only the 2006 Broadway revival of The Threepenny Opera and did not get it or enjoy it at the time, despite my love for some of the actors in that show (particularly Alan Cumming) and the fact that I prefer "dark" musicals. I'm so glad my interest was piqued enough to see this production. I get it now. It's not for everyone...nothing is. But if you like musicals that will challenge you and leave you thinking long after the show is over, please go see Signature's excellent production of The Threepenny Opera.

  • Rating: 1 out of 5

    Good cast, bad book and lyrics

    by Drexacta on 5/3/14Signature Theatre - Arlington

    When a theatrical conceit works, it can be a wonderful thing, but when it doesn't it can make for a long evening. The latter was on display with this production, as it "modernized" the show from the coronation of Victoria to the imagined coronation of William upon Charles's abdication. The whole thing just floundered as the translation the production used was poorly done. The book tried to bring more menace to the work, but it only served to make it a bad caricature. And the lyrics were just not very good. The line "Life is a bitch and then you die" is not a lyric, it's a bumper sticker. The cast was in good voice and worked very hard but they couldn't overcome bad language and juvenile lyrics. The Weill score was beautifully played by a fine orchestra and it still resonates. I am not giving up on Signature as a lot of great work is done there, but sometimes you miss and this was one of those times.