The National Theatre Production of the Three Penny Opera

The Threepenny Opera which I saw in a cinema relay from the National Theatre at Bolden Cineworld on 22^nd September 2016 is a musical and visual presentation of a socialist view of the world of capitalist exploitation of and within the underclass of society, brought up to date and performed just before the Labour and Conservative Party annual conferences. It is important to say at the outset that the work is as opposed to the top down state bureaucratic direction of the economy of Communism or the tolerance and acceptance of the basic capitalist premise of the twentieth century by the Blair and Brown Administrations, following those of Thatcher and Major and furthered with enthusiasm by the Lib Dems under Cameron and George Osborm

The work was created by Bertolt Brecht/ Kurt Weil and performed in Berlin in 1928 as Germany wrestled with having lost the first World War and the collapsing capitalism as vehicle for his wife Lotte Lenya and significantly not performed in the UK until 1956 when it was condemned with the same kind of skilled abuse recently applied to the rise of Jeremy Corbyn. The work is based on the earlier Beggars Opera by John Gay where I am convinced I have seen a Royal Shakespeare production but a search of my programmes as so far failed to confirm. I did experience the Rise and Fall of the House of Mahogany by Brecht and Weill performed at the Royal Opera House in 2015

Although created for a German audience the play is set in London and the National Theatre warns that the work is full of filthy language and immoral behaviour but I found the comical approach dampening the impact rather providing a biting edge of the kind found in the production pf the Season Ticket at Newcastle Stage or the emotional engagement of Norma. I was amused but overall disappointed and just in case my reaction was contrary to the professional critic I have looked at what the Telegraph and the Guardian have had to say and there is agreement that by today’s theatrical, film and TV norm there is a lack of anger. My concern, in addition to the lack of engagement with the characters, the absence of any attack on the basics of internal corporate capitalism.  

The scene is set. and I agree it came across as makeshift without adding to the acting or basic work content, just before coronation day when in the best tradition of Fagan, the gang is prepared for a great day of pick pocketing and the whores to loveless sexuality.  There is a good swipe at the top establishment and the recent rewarding of Cameron’s capitalist chums with complicity state honours as the murdering woman brutalising, and sexually exploiting Macheath (Mac the Knife) not only escapes the gallows but is promised a knighthood and an annual pension of £50000 a year.  There is also reference to the grooming, the seduction of young women   who are viewed as pleasure objects but also to contemporary educational enlightenment and fighting fire with fire as Polly an accountant gains access to the books and joins forces with his other female victims.

I could not help feeling that the inclusion of cross dressing gender bending and someone in a wheelchair with speech disability was more to have contemporary appeal than to enhance the work. It was a good enjoyable evening but not a memorable one. There was a large enthusiastic cast for which the national is famed with Rory Kinnaer as Macheath. Rosalie Craig as Polly and Haydn Gwynne as her jealous mother having also been one of those having sexual intercourse with psychopath. I paid £8.10 for the ticket and enjoyed a 40 pence bar of plain chocolate. Back to the Conservative  Party conference to see how they next exploit  the abysmal failure of the parliamentary Labour Party.