It’s been nearly three decades since Bertolt Brecht’s masterpiece, The Threepenny Opera, had a professional production in Seattle, and I had a front row seat. Literally. Seattle Shakespeare Company’s take on the musical was perhaps the most “Brechtian” production of a Brecht script that I’ve ever seen.
Julie Briskman as Jenny and John Bogar as Macheath aka Mack the Knife. Photo by John Ulman.
But was it because I was seeing it from the front row?
Theater companies perpetually struggle to inject a Brechtian flavor into the scripts of the style’s namesake. Rebelling against melodrama, overemphasis on plot, and the emotional pull of early 20th century theater, Brecht sought to create plays that would stimulate the intellect rather than the heart. Instead of drawing the audience into the action, he wanted them to be acutely aware that they were watching a stage show being performed by actors, and to reflect on the message that the play sought to convey.
His 1928 musical, The Threepenny Opera, employs many of his favorite “distancing” techniques: characters breaking into not always relevant songs, illustrative signage, and direct address to the audience. The problem with many Brecht productions, however, is that he’s a darned good playwright whose compelling characters and plots tend to blow through the distancing mechanisms, drawing forth exactly the emotional response he sought to suppress.
Seattle Shakespeare Company’s production, in the hands of director Stephanie Shine, managed to be Brechtian without falling prey to the other danger of the style: dull pedantry. The tale of crooks, beggars, thieves and prostitutes danced on the knife edge of satire for the entire three acts.
John Bogar (Macheath aka Mack the Knife) cut a suave figure reminiscent of Raul Julia as he conducted his nefarious business on the eve of Queen Victoria’s coronation. As Mack’s bride, Allison Standley (Polly Peachum) was both flippant and fierce. Decked out in a vampiric wedding veil and blood red lips, her rendition of the eerie song “Pirate Jenny” was a standout of the show.
Hugh Hastings was hilarious as Tiger Brown, the commissioner of police with a bromantic crush on Mack. His show-stopping turn as the Street Singer who performs “Mack the Knife” was thrilling.
One to watch is the multi-talented Jerrick Hoffer as beggar Filch, prostitute Dolly, a constable and ensemble member. Just out of Cornish College, he’s already racking up roles at major theaters around town. His versatility in The Threepenny Opera gives a clue as to why he’s so in demand.
The talented cast was guided through the musical by indispensable and indefatigable music director and on stage pianist Daryl Spadaccini. With three acts and two intermissions, it’s a long show, but it goes by fast.
So … has Seattle Shakespeare Company created the most Brechtian production of a Brecht play yet seen in Seattle, or was it all the front row seat? Throughout the production, as actors performed within touching-distance of me and I frequently had to move my feet so they could scurry through the aisle between me and the stage, I was acutely aware that I was watching a play. Just as I found myself being drawn into the plot, I would notice the actors changing costume backstage. It was very Brechtian. Would I have found the production less impressive if I had been seated eight rows back?
It’s worth going twice to find out.
The Threepenny Opera is on stage at Intiman Theatre through March 6. For tickets, visit www.seattleshakespeare.org.
Katherine Luck
