Directed by Barrie Kosky, this staging of The Threepenny Opera renews Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s scathing satire of capitalism. The Berliner Ensemble and conductor Adam Benzwi propel a score that blends popular song, jazz and operatic colour, while a labyrinthine set foregrounds theatricality and ensemble acting. Kosky’s cabaret-inflected direction sharpens the show’s irony and musicality, and the performers move between biting humour and dark lyricism to reveal the work’s moral complexity.
