One of Bertolt Brecht's best-loved and most performed plays, The Threepenny Opera was first staged in 1928 at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, Berlin (now the home of the Berliner Ensemble). Based on the eighteenth-century The Beggar's Opera by John Gay, the play is a satire on the bourgeois society of the Weimar Republic, but set in a mock-Victorian Soho. With Kurt Weill's music, which was one of the earliest and most successful attempts to introduce the jazz idiom into the theatre, it became a popular hit throughout the western world.This new edition is published here in John Willett and Ralph Manhein's classic translation with commentary and notes by Anja Hartl.
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ChronologyContexts- Historical, social and cultural- Political and social climate of the 1920s- Cultural context: the Roaring '20s- Significance of the play for Brecht and for political theatre - 18th century context- 20th century context- Britain vs. Germany; London/East LondonGenres- Opera/music/theatre – a new theatrical genre- Adaptation – John Gay, The Beggar’s Opera- Hybridity: low- and highbrow, emphasis on fun, entertainment in Brechtian theatre- SatireThemes- Who is who? Bourgeois and/or beggar?- Role of the institutions (police, royal family, state)- Corruption, money- Exploitation, human trade, poverty- Morality, asocial vs. social- Love and sexuality, prostitution - Resistance and change- Which opportunities for change are envisioned by the play?CharactersMale characters- Peachum empire- Macheath- TigerbrownFemale characters and sexual politics of the play- Mrs Peachum- Polly- JennyPlay as performance- Brechtian principles of theatre-making> emphasis on dialectical theatre> theatricality> actor-audience relationship> deus-ex-machina ending- Music> Kurt Weill’s composition> Brechtian opera > The significance of the songsAcademic debate- Central strands in scholarship (comparative readings, focus on music and operatic genre)Production history - German productions (Berliner Ensemble; new production announced for January 2021)- English productions- International success (and problems which ensued: misinterpretation, commercialisation, etc.)- Der Dreigroschenprozess (The Threepenny Trial by Bertolt Brecht)- Simon Stephens’s recent new version at the National Theatre, UK- Joachim Lang’s film Mackie Messer – Brechts DreigroschenfilmBehind the scenesInterview with playwright Simon StephensFurther reading and viewingTHE THREEPENNY OPERAAdditional textsNotes
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One of Bertolt Brecht's best-loved and most performed plays, The Threepenny Opera is a satire on the bourgeois society of the Weimar Republic, but set in a mock-Victorian Soho. It is published here with commentary and notes by Anja Hartl.
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A popular choice of text for A-Level Drama & Theatre Studies students
"Must-haves for any students exploring these modern classics, or indeed anyone teaching Literature or Drama." – Teach SecondaryMethuen Drama Student Editions are expertly annotated texts of modern and classic plays designed for students' study.Each one offers the complete text of the play as well as contemporary commentary, written by experts in the field, that provides students with an in-depth look into the background, themes and history of the play.They include:- An introduction giving a complete background to the play and a discussion of the social, political, cultural and economic context in which the play was originally conceived and created.- A chronology of the playwright’s life and work, and review of the play’s production history.- Questions for further study and preparation for examinations along with suggestions for primary and secondary materials for further study.
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781350205284
Publisert
2022-02-10
Utgiver
Vendor
Methuen Drama
Vekt
136 gr
Høyde
198 mm
Bredde
129 mm
AldersnivĂĽ
P, 06
SprĂĽk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
152

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Om bidragsyterne

Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) is acknowledged as one of the great dramatists whose plays, work with the Berliner Ensemble and writing have had a considerable influence on the theatre.

John Willett (1917-2002) was the greatest English-language authority on Brecht. The foremost translator and editor of Brecht's drama, poetry, letters, diaries, theatrical essays and fiction, Willett produced a dozen volumes for Methuen Drama on the greatest modern German writer.

Ralph Manheim (1907-1992) was an American translator of German and French literature. In collaboration with John Willett, Manheim translated the works of Bertolt Brecht. The Pen/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation, inaugurated in his name, is a major lifetime achievement award in the field of translation. He himself won its predecessor, the PEN translation prize, in 1964.

Anja Hartl is Assistant Professor at the Department of Literature, Art and Media Studies at the University of Konstanz, Germany. She has published essays on contemporary British theatre, Brecht and Shakespearean adaptation. Her research focuses on political theatre, adaptation studies, Shakespeare and Victorian fiction. She is the author of Brecht and Post-1990s British Drama in the Methuen Drama Engage series.