THE THREEPENNY OPERA
BERTOLT BRECHT (1898–1956) — KURT WEILL (1900–1950) — ELISABETH HAUPTMANN (1897–1973)
NEW PRODUCTION FESTIVAL D’AIX-EN-PROVENCE AND COMÉDIE-FRANÇAISE
— CO-PRODUCTION MADE POSSIBLE THANKS TO THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF ALINE FORIEL-DESTEZET
TEXT BY BERTOLT BRECHT AND MUSIC BY KURT WEILL
IN COLLABORATION WITH ELISABETH HAUPTMANN
BASED ON THE BEGGAR'S OPERA BY JOHN GAY
PIECE WITH MUSIC, IN A PRELUDE AND EIGHT TABLEAUX
FIRST PERFORMED ON 31 AUGUST 1928 AT THE THEATER AM SCHIFFBAUERDAMM, BERLIN
NEW FRENCH TRANSLATION BY ALEXANDRE PATEAU
NEW SONG PAUV' MADAM PEACHUM (1937), TEXT BY YVETTE GUILBERT, ADAPTED BY ALEXANDRE PATEAU
Share
To be a good man – what a nice idea!
But there’s the little problem of subsistence:
Supplies are scarce and human beings base.The Threepenny Opera (1928), translation Eric Bentley
Who hasn’t heard of Mackie’s lament, that penetrating refrain, smooth as a sharpened razor blade? This year, the opening of the Festival takes an exceptional twist: after Mahagonny’s success (2019), the Archevêché will host, for the first time, the troupe of the Comédie-Française under the stage direction of Thomas Ostermeier for Weill and Brecht's other world-famous hit – The Threepenny Opera. A colourful anarchistic revue, a dark collage of haunting songs and danceable rhythms, this parody of opera demystifies a genre deemed bourgeois at a time when mass music is on the rise, and sarcastically describes the Weimar Republic – a period of moral confusion which is reminiscent of our own. Maxime Pascal will lead a dozen virtuoso multi-instrumentalists from his ensemble Le Balcon to perform the original version, for the first time on stage since its creation – a version that is more forceful and in line with Weill’s wishes. A few unpublished pages will be added, and a new translation will be made in close collaboration with the artistic team.
THE THREEPENNY OPERA IS IN THE PRESS!
— LE FIGARO
Les comédiens-Français ouvrent la 75e édition du Festival d'Aix avec une interprétation unique de la pièce de Brecht et Weill. À la tête de l'ensemble Le Balcon, Maxime Pascal décape le rythme et le ton
— LE MONDE
Dans la fosse, Maxime Pascal, à la tête de son ensemble, Le Balcon, a tenu le pari du "multi-instrumentalisme". On a adoré, parmi les cuivres et les claviers, les accents de basse électrique, de balalaïka et de guitare hawaïenne.
— LA CROIX
Le spectacle témoigne d’une grande cohérence esthétique, d’une parfaite fluidité entre les différents tableaux, d’un engagement ardent des artistes.
— LES ÉCHOS
Le Balcon et son chef Maxime Pascal se révèlent [...] idéaux de dynamisme, de lisibilité polyphonique et de plénitude chromatique.
— DIAPASON
[...] des Comédiens Français, flamboyants (comme les costumes que leur a taillés Florence von Gerkan, dans une veine chic triviale), galvanisés par les pouvoirs secrets du metteur en scène qui fait d’eux un aréopage interlope parmi lequel les grandes gueules matent les petites frappes sans ménagement
— CONCERT CLASSIC
Une troupe qui donne toute sa dimension sociale et politique à cette pièce y insufflant passion et dynamisme sans fard et sans retenue.
— LA MARSEILLAISE
Le plaisir de la musique de bastringue, les rengaines géniales de Kurt Weill procurent un indéniable plaisir, servies par un orchestre impeccable et une troupe géniale.
— LA PROVENCE
Il faut [...] souligner l'intérêt de la nouvelle traduction musclée d'Alexandre Pateau, triviale et cash, et l'accompagnement musical puissant de Maxime Pascal à la tête de son orchestre Le Balcon.
Performances
Ticket prices: €165, €130, €90, €59, €31
Youth prices: €49, €39, €27, €17, €9
Performance available with ticket packages and Dinner & Opera offer
Under 30? The 10 July performance is for you! Book your tickets for a one-of-a-kind festive evening.
Be aware this special evening is not on sale on the internet. Please call the Box Office to book your tickets : 08 20 67 00 57 (12cts€/min) from France or +33 (0)4 34 08 02 17 from abroad. Further information
2 hours and 40 minutes without interval
Sung in French with French and English surtitles
Sets and costumes of the Troupe were carried out by the workshops of the Comédie-Française. Costumes of the choir were carried out by the workshops of the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence.
Kurt Weill : Die Dreigroschenoper (Kurt Weill Edition - Nouvelle édition critique) Hinton / Harsh
Bertolt Brecht is published and represented by L'ARCHE – publisher and theatre agency.
The Threepenny Opera has just been published in a new translation by Alexandre Pateau.
www.arche-editeur.com
© Sous la licence de Kurt Weill Foundation for Music Inc.
