David Birrell, Anna Wheatley and Robert Jackson in The Threepenny Opera at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton. Picture: Richard Davenport
The Threepenny Opera continues at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton until 4 November.
Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
In a frighteningly plausible not-too-distant future Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg are holding a referendum on capital punishment, preparations are being made for the coronation of King Charles III, and notorious murderer Macheath stalks the streets of central London.
With central themes of social inequality, corruption and exploitation, Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera may have first been performed in 1920s Berlin, but is proven equally pertinent in modern day Bolton by David Thacker’s ambitious revival.
In recent years theatre-makers have recognised the enduring relevance of John Gay’s original 1728 piece The Beggar’s Opera and the source material has borne further new and innovative musical adaptations, such as The Buskers Opera and Kneehigh’s Dead Dog in a Suitcase.
The Octagon’s new production of The Threepenny Opera retains original orchestrations by Weill and the deliberately distancing dramatic form of Brecht while modernising language to reflect present-day society, with translations of the dialogue and lyrics by Robert David Macdonald and Jeremy Sams respectively.
Consequently a scrolling news ticker displays fictional yet horribly believable headlines to the audience’s amusement but also original song titles and scene setting in Brechtian style.
Macheath (David Birrell) is an infamous, immoral criminal who has secretly married the daughter of Jonathan Peachum (Eric Potts), a wealthy businessman cynically exploiting the poor by employing them as beggars and taking their profits.
Peachum and his wife vow to see Macheath brought to justice, despite the protection of corrupt police commissioner Tiger Brown (Robert Jackson).
The contemporary update provides some entertaining individual moments but doesn’t add much to the general narrative. The references to Ikea and the taking of selfies situate the production clearly in the present but there are times when it is done too crudely; the swearing is over-used to the point of being unimaginative rather than humorous and ultimately the strongest moments are generally those derived more closely from the source material.
A cast of actor-musicians make full use of the two-tiered industrial style set and give confident individual performances. Weill’s score is musically similar and not particularly melodic, the songs are memorable for the performances rather than the tunes.
Birrell captures both the charm and depravity of Macheath and is vocally strong, particularly in the finale where Mack’s self-assured facade starts to slip.
Potts and Sue Devaney portray the resourceful Peachums with comedic relish and there are standout solos from Anna Wheatley as the brassy Polly and Martina Isibor as Jenny Diver, the only sympathetic character who gives the show much-needed heart.
Although arguably modernising the production does not add anything that could not have been gleaned from the original material, it is notable that almost 90 years on from its premiere, The Threepenny Opera still provides a relevant critique of society. It is a bold and atypical piece of musical theatre that in this case succeeds on the strength of a talented, committed cast.
May Mellstrom
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