The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny – London Coliseum

The cast of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at the London Coliseum. Picture: Tristram Kenton

The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny continues at the London Coliseum until 20 February 2026.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny is a satirical exposé of a corrupt society. In this world, the biggest crime is having no money, and women are commodities. Tragically, it seems as relevant today as it was when the Nazis banned it nearly 100 years ago. Three fugitives found a city, or a spider’s web, in which they can catch people and fleece them of their money. Three acts and three deaths later, the city has boomed and is collapsing.

With its fusion of ragtime, jazz and grand opera, the music lulls you into a feeling of easy-going fun, while the words shock you into stark reality. Jamie Manton’s production for English National Opera, in a sharp and clear translation by Jeremy Sams, is gripping from the get-go and builds to a dramatic finale. Manton finds lightness in this murky tale, with a narrator dressed as a giant megaphone and a red tap-dancing hurricane that can’t read a map.

The Act III narration is chilling as the ghosts of Jack O’Brien, played by Elgan Llŷr Thomas, and a blood-soaked Alaska Wolf Joe, played by David Shipley, break the fourth wall and challenge the audience’s conscience.

Milla Clarke’s ‘open stage’ set, with the fugitive’s truck as the focal point, serving as the bar, the brothel, etc., works well dramatically. However, the Coliseum stage is huge, and very occasionally, singers suffer from the lack of a backdrop to help project their voices.

Rosie Aldridge is a tough Leokadja Begbick with a husky chesty sound, especially when dealing with the men, and a soaring, rich mezzo-soprano at other times. As Jenny Smith, Danielle de Niese looks redolent of cigarettes and liquor, and her many returns of the ‘Alabama Song’ ooze a tired sensuality. It is particularly gorgeous as it floats over the chorus and Jimmy MacIntyre’s voices in the hurricane scene.

As Jimmy, Simon O’Neill is at ease singing as a lounge singer in ‘Deep in Alaska’ as he is in full operatic mode in his searing final aria. His delicate musical phrasing adds a poignancy to everything he sings. Kenneth Kellogg shines as a physically imposing Trinity Moses with a deep and resonant bass voice.

The true stars of the evening are the orchestra and chorus. The ENO chorus bursts with energy, from the soothing a cappella humming chorus ‘When the Sky is Bright’ to a pure wall of sound that rattles the bones in the finale. Their ensemble singing is flawless.

Beginning with the cracking military drum rolls that signal the dark events to come, the orchestra tells the story. On the turn of a sixpence, they transform into a jazz band, a French café band and a full-blooded romantic orchestra, all with remarkable authenticity. André de Ridder keeps the pace flying, and the music builds to a frenetic and exciting climax.

If you like great tunes and a powerful, thought-provoking show, then this is for you. True to the spirit of Brecht and Weill, ENO does its best to make theatre available to all: tickets start at £15, and under-21s can attend for free.

Effie Gray