Threepenny Revival Song List - Spoilers Maybe

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 3:27pm

Here's the scene and song list, for anyone who was wondering.

Act One
Overture - Orchestra
Prologue: Song of the Extraordinary Crimes of Mac the Knife - Jenny and Company

Scene 1 - Wardrobe Department of Peachum's Begging Business
Peachum's Morning Hymn - Mr. Peachum
The 'Rather Than' Song - Mr. & Mrs. Peachum

Scene 2 - An Empty Stable
Wedding Song and it's Reprise - Robert, Walter, Jacob and the Gang
Pirate Jenny - Polly
The Army Song - Macheath, Tiger, Polly, and the Gang
Wedding Song second reprise - The Gang
Love Song - Macheath and Polly

Scene 3 - Peachum's Wardrobe Department
The 'No' Song - Polly
Certain Things Make Our Life Impossible - Mr. Peachum, Mrs. Peachum, and Polly

Scene 4 - The Stable
Goodbye - Macheath
Polly's Song - Polly

Intermission

Act Two
Interlude - A Street
The Ballad of the Overwhelming Power of Sex - Mrs. Peachum

Scene 5 - A Brothel in Turnbridge
The Ballad of the Pimp - Macheath and Jenny

Scene 6 - The Prison of the Old Bailey
The Ballad of the Happy Life - Macheath
The Jealousy Duet - Lucy and Polly
How Do Humans Live? - Mac, Mrs. Peachum, Company, and Wallace Shawn's offstage voice

Scene 7 - Peachum's Wardrobe Department
The Ballad of the Overwhelming Power of Sex reprise - Mrs. Peachum
The Song of Inadequacy of Human Striving and its reprise - Mr. Peachum
Solomon Song - Jenny

Scene 8 - Lucy Brown's Bedroom, an Attic in the Old Bailey
Lucy's Aria - Lucy (English with German surtitles and vice-versa)

Scene 9 - The Death Cell
Cry from the Grace - Macheath
The Ballad in which Macheath asks Everyone's Forgiveness - Macheath
Finale - Company

Those titles are mouthfulls!




Updated On: 3/26/06 at 03:27 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 3:31pm

This revival isn't 3 acts?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 3:36pm

Nope. 2 acts, 3 hours.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 3:38pm

No, just one intermission, though content-wise there are very few cuts (and in fact most productions cut Lucy's aria for time).

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 3:51pm

Oh, cool.

I think 2 acts is better suited for today's Broadway audiences.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 9:00pm

I agree completely.

[Theatreboy33]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 10:52pm

I agree. Saw the show this afternoon and throroughly enjoyed myself, though I felt act 2 was a great deal more effective/entertaining/interesting. Perhaps this is because of the increased exposure of Cyndi Lauper and the lesser exposure of Nellie McKay. I'm not sure why, but McKay did nothing for me. It seemed to me like a non-actor taking the easy way out of the role by playing terrible acting. The whole character just was so empty of thought to me. A real cop out. Hopefully this will change in time for opening. However the real standout for me was Jim Dale. He brought the house down this afternoon on his final solo and left me amazed with his entire performance. A master class in body and voice work all around for any actor viewing this versatile performer. Hand him the featured actor Tony now.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 1:00am

I loved Jim Dale, but my biggest problem with him in this show is that I coudln't understand a word he was saying. Hell, I couldn't understand a word ANYONE was singing, but his speaking really got lost on me.

He was entertaining and goofy - exactly what he needs to be - but so far (including the JERSEY BOYS and the "men" from THREEPENNY, Manoel still gives the single most riveting supporting actor performance of the year so far.

[toomeytwopiece]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 3:58am

and why do you put the word "Men" in quotes?? That seems rather insulting.

Manoel is wonderful, but there will be a tight race for that award, and anyone who is nominates will deserve the Tony this year in that category.

[JJPeachum2]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 3:47pm

I agree about Manoel. However, regarding the sentiment that "2 acts is better suited for today's Broadway audiences," I wish to say, simply, "Who cares?" Brecht & Weill wrote to be a three-act piece. Besides, don't you think theatre managers would see this as double their chance to make money selling refreshments and memorabelia?

However, I'm still totally excited that my beloved THREEPENNY is back on Broadway, and with such an interesting cast.

I'm also just dying to see how they play the whole "Lucy-as-a-Man" thing, besides trying to figure out how a man could sing "Lucy's Aria." Does he sing it in the male register, or in falsetto?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 4:07pm

He sings it in a full-voiced powerful countertenor (not falsetto), like a 17th century castrato. His range is such that he sings all of Lucy's music in the original keys. It's VERY impressive.

Aside from other considerations, given that the show runs very close to three hours, eliminating a second intermission helps to keep costs down. Overtime costs when a show runs so much as one minute past 11pm can be astronomical and Roundabout, being a not-for-profit, has to be especially conscious of such things. The good news is that by losing one intermission, there's now enough time for "Lucy's Aria" which the vast majority of productions cut for time.

[JJPeachum2]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 4:22pm

Regarding "Lucy's Aria," most productions also cut it because Weill never actually got around to orchestrating it. Is it performed with simple piano here, or did someone provide an orchestration?

Man, I wish I could see this...

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/27/06 at 4:32pm

The production uses the original orchestrations, by Kurt Weill. John Miller is the music coordinator and Kevin Stites is the musical director.

[JJPeachum2]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 12:42am

Yes, but Weill never actually orchestrated "Lucy's Aria." My question was: is "Lucy's Aria" performed with only piano, or has it been orchestrated?

[toomeytwopiece]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 12:38am

it has been collaboratively orchestrated with the Weill Foundation's supervision and input.

[jasobres]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 7:32am

And why isn't the Balladeer singing "the Ballad of Mack the Knife?"

And just out of curiosity, what does the orchestration consist of?

Updated On: 3/29/06 at 07:32 AM

[JJPeachum2]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 11:55am

toomeytwopiece, thanks for your response...

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 12:15pm

There's no Balladeer/Street Singer in this production (I've seen other productions also cut this role). Instead the ensemble sings it, with Lauper doing the opening verse and then others getting a verse or a couple of lines solo.

I was sitting in the front row off to the side and the orchestra was in the boxes on either side of the theatre (including one above my head) so I couldn't see all the players. I'll leave it to someone else to give a listing of the musicians.