Audiences are invited to a savage, biting musical as Catholic University’s Department of Drama presents the famous “play with music”, The Threepenny Opera, in the Callan Theatre.
Set in Victorian England as a critique of the British bourgeois society, The Threepenny Opera tells the tales of an outlaw known as Mack the Knife and some of his compatriots. The play was written by Bertolt Brecht and adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, The Beggar's Opera. The show originally premiered in Berlin, Germany, on Aug. 31, 1928.
Director Pauline Grossman, the dance coordinator for the musical theatre program, said she was excited to present this historic piece of theatre to the University community. “The Threepenny Opera is a dark comedy about how society can always do better taking care of those in need. The story suggests that those who are charitable to others do so for selfish reasons to better themselves and not for the actual benefit of those who need help.”
She said the show offers an important educational experience for students, as well. “It is often done in what is considered the Brechtian style, which we felt was an important style to understand not only intellectually from an academic standpoint but also to teach our students how to implement it in a practical way as actors.”
Performances of The Threepenny Opera will take place in the Callan Theatre March 1 at 7:30 p.m., March 2 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and March 3 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults; $10 for Catholic University faculty/staff/alumni, seniors, and members of the military; $5 for students and those under age 19. Tickets can be purchased here. For more information, call 202-319-5414.