The Threepenny Opera — Page 2

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#26

re: The Threepenny Opera

Posted: 9/9/09 at 7:17pm

Brilliant.

Oh, by the way, which production includes the Streetsinger singing a reprise of the Solomon Song?

#27

To the people who are saying Blitzstein's translation isn't raunchy enough- once you put it on stage, you could perform it in a way that is plenty raunchy. It's not all in the lyrics themselves, but the interpretation. Here are some examples from my college's production (I was the sound board op).

How to Survive:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brmKzcS6CS8

Tango Ballad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D33AWkffax0

#28

re: The Threepenny Opera

Posted: 9/10/09 at 2:49pm

I have never seen the show, but I often listen to the various recordings. The most compelling renditions, IMO--

Bea Arthur's coiled, snarling "Barbara Song" in the original;

Ellen Greene's "Solomon's Song"--she's altogether miraculous, playing the character as a tortured would-be Judas, delivering the well-translated lyrics with edge and poignancy through what sounds like bashed-in teeth;

Charlotte Rae's (yes, Charlotte Rae's) rendition of "Pirate Jenny" on a recording of one of those all-star benefits for something (perhaps one of the posters knows it). After this, she OWNS that song. Lotte who?

And, yes, Julia Migenes managed to bring a bit of operatic grandeur to her songs in the wildly misconceived movie "Mack the Knife" (other than her, it comes across as a bad summer-stock production of "Oliver!")

I ask in all honesty/What would life be?/Without a song and a dance, what are we?/So I say "Thank you for the music/For giving it to me."

#29

re: The Threepenny Opera

Posted: 9/10/09 at 3:31pm

I was rather disappointed when I finally got my hands on the 1976 recording, especially with Ellen Greene, to my chagrin. I'm not sure if it was her accent or what, but what I assumed was going to become one of my favorite "Pirate Jenny"s just wasn't.

Roquat, I believe you are speaking of the Kurt Weil Centennial Celebration album? Where Charlotte does this intro about how "Lenya... this ... isss.... for ... you." I disagree with you about her owning the song after that, but to each his own. There are only what, a zillion versions to choose from out there. :)

As for the movie - while I have no problem acknowledging what people DON'T like about it - I personally kind of love it. There are some bizarre choices to be sure (including during the opening, when a thousand people do some sort of "choreography" which consists of them awkwardly shuffling from the left to the right) and the orchestrations are truly whacked, but there's something about it as a whole that feels true to the material.

I thought Migenes was a wonderful Jenny and only wish "Pirate Jenny" hadn't been shortened.

I also think the ending actually personifies Brecht's theatre of alienation better than most stage productions of seen. All that said, though, I know the movie isn't most people's cup of tea, but it's a lot more watchable than the German version from 1931!

#30

re: The Threepenny Opera

Posted: 9/10/09 at 6:05pm

What is the movie ending like? The film is sadly out of print, so I always wondered how they did the ending.

#31

re: The Threepenny Opera

Posted: 9/10/09 at 6:10pm

Re-reading this thread has just reminded me of an idea that's been in the back of my mind for quite some time.

A while ago, I thought about taking 3penny and making a stop-motion animated film of it. Kind of in the vein of Nightmare Before Christmas but more dark and more focused on German expressionism. I honestly don't think it'll ever come into fruitation and it probably wouldn't even work given the medium...but at the time I thought about all the fun things you could do with the character designs. Macheath would be the most fun - kind of like a cross between Montparnasse from Les Miserables and Jack the Ripper. (Ridiculous, I know).

"I am and always will be the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes and dreamer of improbable dreams." - Doctor Who

"Yes, the brutalities of progress are called revolutions. When they are over, men recognize that the human race has been harshly treated but it has moved forward." - Les Miserables

Updated On: 9/10/09 at 06:10 PM

#32

re: The Threepenny Opera

Posted: 9/10/09 at 6:51pm

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SFJ4KE/ref=s9_simz_gw_s1_p15_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1M74EGFH93AN7EW3V3ZA&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

PS- Not afraid to admit I listened to Bea in Threepenny after she died and depressed myself thoroughly.

#33

re: The Threepenny Opera

Posted: 9/10/09 at 9:14pm

The film "Mack the Knife" is out of print, not the original German one.

#34

re: The Threepenny Opera

Posted: 9/11/09 at 10:03am

I got my VHS copy - which I need to figure out how to transfer to dvd at some point - of Mack the Knife on Ebay a few years ago.

What is the movie ending like? The film is sadly out of print, so I always wondered how they did the ending.

It's been a while since I watched it, so this may not be 100% accurate, but at some point during the final scene it switches from realism to the cast being in a sparsely decorated stage and they finish the show on the stage, complete with a curtain call. Having it jump from the "real" world to them onstage is really jarring and I think true to Brecht's theatre of alienation.

#35

re: The Threepenny Opera

Posted: 9/15/09 at 12:17pm

Actually I do think this is a marvellous choice and one, obviously, only possible on film.

MACK THE KNIFE is marvellously cast overall, which keeps it watchable despite the wild stylistic leaps. Watching the 1931 G.W. Pabst version, you know what it's like to be kept alive on machines while in a coma.

One forgotten movie that comes close to achieving a true Brechtian grandeur is the 1980 movie musical PENNIES FROM HEAVEN (Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters). It's not perfect, obviously, but it works the jumps from fantasy to reality in startling ways.

I ask in all honesty/What would life be?/Without a song and a dance, what are we?/So I say "Thank you for the music/For giving it to me."

#36

re: The Threepenny Opera

Posted: 9/15/09 at 12:43pm

Watching the 1931 G.W. Pabst version, you know what it's like to be kept alive on machines while in a coma.

Ha! That describes it perfectly!

#37

re: The Threepenny Opera

Posted: 9/15/09 at 1:15pm

to broadway86 - make it so! What an amazing fantasy cast!

"The hours between twilight and darkness belong to the makers of music and tellers of tales." - Pagan saying / "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams." - Willy Wonka / "Theatre is life, film is art, TV is furniture." - Unknown from internet

#38

re: The Threepenny Opera

Posted: 9/15/09 at 1:42pm

I saw a production that starred Chita Rivera as both the street singer and Jenny. James Mitchell was Mack the Knife.

#39

re: The Threepenny Opera

Posted: 1/14/22 at 11:04am

I apologize for responding here. I'm new to this forum and I'm not sure how to post an original message without responding to someone else. Help?

I'm actually looking for rental scores of Threepenny Opera, the Michael Feingold translation. THANKS

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