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The Threepenny Opera

By Bertolt Brecht
Series: Modern Classics
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Threepenny Opera, first staged in 1928 in Berlin, is a sharp satire of the bourgeois capitalist society in the Weimar Republic. Set in a mock-Victorian Soho, it tells the story of a bitter conflict between Macheath, an amoral criminal, and his father-in-law, a racketeer who controls London's beggars and seeks Macheath's execution. Despite efforts by the Chief of Police to protect him, Macheath is condemned to hang until the queen unexpectedly pardons him, granting him a title and land. The play is noted for its memorable music by Kurt Weill, marking one of the earliest uses of jazz in theatre.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This classic is ideal for readers interested in dramatic arts, political satire, and 20th-century theatre, as well as those keen on musical history and the works of Bertolt Brecht.

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Repackaged and reissued, this is Brecht's classic interpretation of John Gay's The Beggars Opera. It is a vicious satire on the bourgeois capitalist society of the Weimar Republic, married with the jazz music of Kurt Weill. The text is accompanied by Brecht's original notes.

Repackaged and reissued, this is Brecht's classic interpretation of John Gay's The Beggars Opera. It is a vicious satire on the bourgeois capitalist society of the Weimar Republic, married with the jazz music of Kurt Weill. The text is accompanied by Brecht's original notes.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Based on John Gay's eighteenth century Beggar's Opera, The Threepenny Opera, first staged in 1928 at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin, is a vicious satire on the bourgeois capitalist society of the Weimar Republic, but set in a mock-Victorian Soho. It focuses on the feud between Macheaf - an amoral criminal - and his father-in-law, a racketeer who controls and exploits London's beggars and is intent on having Macheaf hanged.

Despite the resistance by Macheaf's friend, the Chief of Police, Macheaf is eventually condemned to hang until in a comic reversal the queen pardons him and grants him a title and land. With Kurt Weill's unforgettable music - one of the earliest and most successful attempts to introduce jazz to the theatre - it became a popular hit throughout the western world.

Published in Methuen Drama's Modern Classics series in a trusted translation by Ralph Manheim and John Willett, this edition features extensive notes and commentary. It includes an introduction to the play, Brecht's own notes on the play, a full appendix of textual variants, a note by composer Kurt Weill, and a transcript of a discussion about the play between Brecht and a theatre director, plus editorial notes on the genesis of the play.

Series: Modern Classics

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Observer hailed Bertolt Brecht as "one of the greatest poets and dramatists of our century." Marc Silberman of the Brecht Yearbook praises this edition as "an excellent resource" and recognises Willett and Manheim as "the unchallenged mediators of Brecht for the English-speaking audience."

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780413390301

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 January 1979

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Methuen Drama

Contributors:

  • Edited by John Willett
  • Edited by Ralph Manheim
  • Translated by Ralph Manheim
  • Translated by John Willett
  • Volume editor John Willett
  • Volume editor Ralph Manheim
  • Translated by Ralph Manheim
  • Translated by Ralph Manheim

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 9.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 202.0mm

Weight: 178g

Pages: 144

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Arts & Culture Bertolt Brecht Non-Fiction Series: Modern Classics

About the Author

Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) is acknowledged as one of the great dramatists whose work has had a considerable influence on the theatre. His landmark plays include Mother Courage and Her Children, The Threepenny Opera, Life of Galileo, and The Caucasian Chalk Circle.Circle. His plays and dramatic theory are central to the study of modern theatre.

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