Threepenny Opera at Opera House

In a world where evil goes unpunished, money is corrupt, law is fickle and lowly souls remain on the poverty line, roams London’s most notorious criminal, Mackheath ‘Mack the Knife’. He has recently married Polly, the daughter of Mr Peachum, the leader of the beggars.

However, Peachum is so displeased with this that he concocts a plan to have his new son-in-law hanged. Through a deceitful web of blackmail, bribery and brothels, Macheath is eventually caught and taken to the gallows. Will he hang, or will society offer him an escape?

An opera for beggars. Conceived with magnificence such as only beggars could imagine and an economy such as only beggars could afford.

One of the early and most accessible examples of Brecht’s Epic Theatre, it challenges the audience to reflect on their own beliefs and behaviour towards the poor and the underprivileged of our socie-ty. Famous for its exceptional musical score (which includes opening number ‘Mack the Knife’) and for its in-your-face realism, this is theatre with an edge and a healthy dose of cynical parody to get everyone thinking.