In the Wings

Get to know two Leonard Bernstein masterpieces, TROUBLE IN TAHITI and ARIAS & BARCAROLLES in 5 minutes or less before BLO's new production in May 2018.

The Threepenny Opera had its first performance in Berlin on the 31st of August 1928—let’s explore what else occurred that year.

We have looked at and listened to some relatively straightforward renditions of the insidiously persuasive strains of “Mackie Messer,” or “Mack the Knife.” Here are some others--from the bizarre to the campy!

Although a last-minute addition to the original production in 1928, “Die Moritat von Mackie Messer” has gone on to become its biggest hit.

Shortly before The Threepenny Opera was to open, Harald Paulsen, playing Mack the Knife, demanded an entrance song that would announce his character. Brecht decided to compose one that would counteract the dandy image, and so penned Die Moritat von Mackie Messer--The Ballad of Mack the Knife.

Brecht hated opera—a bit simplistic and overstated, granted, but perhaps not entirely inappropriate for dealing with the highly opinionated beliefs of this protean playwright, poet, composer, director, actor, and theoretician. But upon further examination, the situation becomes more ambiguous.

The Threepenny Opera is a work that provoked passion, outrage, and has inspired countless other artists over the course of 90 years. One such artist, Arbit Blatas, came back to the themes and story of Threepenny many times over the course of his career as an artist and sculptor.

BLO gives a shout out to James Maddalena, an exceptional performer that has been performing with us for many years. This season, he is one of only two performers who will be performing in two BLO productions.