Brecht-Weill "Threepenny Opera" Plays At San Jose Stage Co.

"Und der Haifisch, der hat Zähne, Und die trägt er im Gesicht": Moreno as Macheath

"At the center of this decadent universe is Macheath (the agile Johnny Moreno), a cheating,

Jenny Diver & Mack the Knife

whoring hustler (in case you're not sure, he has the word 'hustler' tattooed across his chest.) Armed with a silver tongue, an outsized libido and the gift of swagger, Macheath threatens to upset the underground economy run by Mr. and Mrs. Peachum (Paul Myrvold and Susan Gundunas) when he announces that he intends to marry their virginal daughter, Polly (Monique Hafen.)....The cast, costumed in eye-candy grunge by Jean Cardinale and looking sharp in MaryBeth Cavanaugh's choreography, is strongest on the female side; Hafen's Polly is the standout, creating the character with a fine mix of innocence and bruised toughness, and singing with a focused, sweet-toned soprano that made songs like 'Pirate Jenny' and 'Barbara Song' into showstoppers. As Jenny, Halsey Varady is also splendid, belting 'The Flick Knife Song' (also known as 'Mack the Knife') at the top of the first act. Her performance of 'Socrates Song,' sung with balletic grace while suspended over a piano, is one of the evening's mesmerizing highlights." [Source] More photos after the jump.

(Photos: Dave Lepori)

Kurt Weill and Robert Wilson Have Major Success at BAM

Bang for your (threepenny) buck at BAM
(Photo: Stephanie Berger)

"'Mankind is kept alive by bestial acts,' sings the chorus during the first act's finale in Robert Wilson's new production of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera with the Berliner Ensemble at BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House, as part of the Next Wave Festival (through Saturday). This is a fact borne out at every turn in the text, music, and Wilson's silent cinema grotesque character and costume design, all thrown into sharp, sensuous relief by exquisitely minimalist stage and lighting design. That contrast plays out most powerfully in the disjuncture between this spectacular production's slick visuals and guttural, grating sounds." [Source]