I realized today that ther really isn't that much talk of the new revival here at Broadwayworld. SO I figured I'd start a thread devoted to it. I'll just start it off with a question:
Is the show any good? I'm not talking specifically about the revival. I'm just wondering if it will be worth seeing based on past productions?
Brooke Sunny Moriber is back! Just as Craig predicted! Only this was weeks before. Interesting.... Well heres to a hopefully satisfying and wonderful revival
I heard he was great in Cabaret (a production I still dream about seeing). But this show does look promising. I'm just trying to decide to see this or Awake and Sing.
I got my head bit off the last time I suggested this, but I have to suck it up and do it again. I say get the 1994 Donmar recording first. The lyrics have an edge and a bite that's lacking in the 1954 New York Cast.
Granted, 1954 has Lotte Lenya (former child prostitute and Weill's wife and muse) doing the definitive "Pirate Jenny," but Bliztstein's lyrics really don't sting much fifty years later, if they ever really did.
I'd love to get my hands on the late 70s recording with Raul Julia and Ellen Greene, but I don't think it's ever been released on cd.
1954 has Charlotte Rae, Bea Arthur and Jo Sullivan, though.
You really need both. But start with Donmar.
"How do you like THAT 'misanthropic panache,' Mr. Goldstone?" - PalJoey
I'm a great fan of Marc Blitzstein's English version of THREEPENNY OPERA, and they cannot be judged by the recording: he was forced to launder the lyrics in the studio to appease some prudes. I've tried unsuccessfully several times to get a recording made with his original lyrics.
The other important thing about his lyrics is that they are funny, which isn't always true of Brecht's, and they often achieve their point without beating the grittiness into the audience's face. I think this was both a smart thing in 1952, when the translation was done, and one reason why the show survived so long. In 1928, THREREPENNY OPERA was a comedy; each time Brecht republished the script, without Weill's approval or input, he increased his anti-capitalist rant.
Do you know this lyric to "Mack the Knife" suppressed on the recording: There was rape down by the harbor Little Susie caused a stir Claiming that she'd been assaulted Wonder what got into her?
Much funnier than the original German.
Cleopatra reclining on her asp is both funny and apt in the "Solomon Song," and better than Brecht.
However, a new and good translation of any piece to keep it contemporary is always welcome. I know Mr Shawn and like him much. I wish him well, and I look forward to hearing his work.
So help me out here though - I'm reading in the cast announcement that someone named Brian is playing the part of Lucy. Is that a misprint or true? Or is Brian really a girl??
Or is this going to be a REALLY different production??
Brian Charles Rooney is going to be playing Lucy Brown. I am not sure how the role is going to be done because I am not all that familiar with the show. However, Brian is a very funny and talented performer. He played Jinx this past summer in a production of Forever Plaid that played here in Charlotte, NC from April through June and was very good.
"You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays. I don't know about you, but I'd like to make today worth remembering." --Harold Hill from The Music Man
I really want to see this because of the cast, but I know nothing about the show. How complex are the story and music? Will I need to be acquainted with them beforehand to fully understand and appreciate it?
The show seems to be open for new translations. I actually saw a production that starred Chita Rivera as not only the streetsinger but also as the prostitute. Not only did she sing/dance "Mack The Knife" but also "Pirate Jenny" (no she didn't dance to this song).
Elmore, I had no idea that Blitzstein had to sanitize his lyrics for the recording. Fascinating. I'll have to see out his original lyrics. Thanks for the info!
"How do you like THAT 'misanthropic panache,' Mr. Goldstone?" - PalJoey
I have really TRIED to like THREEPENNY OPERA. I saw a production where Chita Rivera played the Streetsinger AND Jenny. Then there was the Raul Julia production at Lincoln Center. The dissonant score repulses me and I've found the story to be depressing as hell.