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Overview
The Threepenny Opera, written by German playwright Bertolt Brecht with music by Kurt Weill, is a play that provides a biting critique of capitalism and the bourgeoisie
. The show, which premiered in Berlin in 1928, is a reimagining of John Gay’s 18th-century ballad opera The Beggar’s Opera. It follows the antihero Macheath, or Mack the Knife, as he navigates the criminal underworld of Victorian London. The Threepenny Opera has been adapted numerous times for the stage and screen, most notably as the 1931 German film of the same name and as the 1989 American film Mack the Knife.Read the full play summary, an in-depth character analysis of Macheath, and explanations of important quotes from The Threepenny Opera.
