Threepenny Opera questions- Page 2

[dfwtheatreguy]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 1:06pm

"I think it is a foolish idea to interpolate Surabaya Johnny into Threepenny. The song was written for Happy End. Would you include a song from The King and I in The Sound of Music or a song from Company in Into The Woods?"

I think Weill is the easiest composer to interpolate songs from other songs, because there is an underlying thematic element that connects all his shows - "Company" and "Into the Woods" are diametrically opposed, although.....


Imagine the Witch singing "Sorry Grateful" to Rapunzel instead of "Stay With Me" or "Agony" replaced with "Have I Got a Girl For You". And definitely Maria could sing "Hello Young Lovers" to Liesl after "Sixteen Going on Seventeen". And Anna could definitely sing "I Have Confidence" before meeting the King of Siam.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 1:10pm

Pirate Jenny is more wicked, and she's singing about Jenny. From what I remember when I saw the 06 production she entertained the gang by singing a song about a barmaid she once saw who turns out to be Jenny

That must have been an invention of the revival, because I've never known of a production where the Jenny in Pirate Jenny (when sung by Polly) was supposed to be Jenny the whore.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 1:31pm

Actually, when we did it and used the Domnar Script it Polly says that she will entertain them by doing an impression of someone she saw and she asks someone to ask her "Well, Jenny when's your ship coming in"

I always thought it was supposed to be Jenny.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 1:34pm

In most versions where Polly sings it she tells the men at the wedding to ask her a question of that kind.

Hey, this thread has taught me that I was mistaken about a lot of Threepenny things, so I could be wrong, but I never thought that implication was that Pirate Jenny was Jenny Jenny.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 1:54pm

"I think it is a foolish idea to interpolate Surabaya Johnny into Threepenny. The song was written for Happy End. Would you include a song from The King and I in The Sound of Music or a song from Company in Into The Woods?"

When "State Fair" was produced on Broadway, they interpolated the song "Man I Used to Be" from Pipe Dream.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 3:08pm

I LOVED the Alan Cumming revival, personally. Loved the new translation and it had one of the best casts imaginable. I'm still bitter that it wasn't recorded.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 3:08pm

Every Kiss Me Kate revival interpolates songs, too, doesn't it?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 4:14pm

There are several revivals that mixed in songs written for the movie version or other trunk songs:

Grease
Sound of Music
Cabaret
Show Boat
Godspell

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 4:27pm

"Every Kiss Me Kate revival interpolates songs, too, doesn't it?"

The revival with Mazzie and Mithchell interpolated one song (the same one that had been used, to better effect, in the film), but traditionally this is one Porter show in which songs had not been interpolated.

Yes, that stuff in which Polly tells the men to ask her those questions is in Brecht's script.