Театральная компания ЗМ
Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill

THE THREEPENNY OPERA

Moscow Art Theatre
Director: Kirill Serebrennikov



Set designers: Nikolai Simonov, Kirill Serebrennikov



The leading young director, Kirill Serebrennikov, is more and more inclined
to use music in his works every year. So also here in the Three-penny opera
Weil attracted him no less, than Brecht. The translation of the play, both
text and songs, was commissioned to be performed by two modern poets, new
arrangements were also written for the music. They were later vetoed by
Weil's successors. However, Serebrennikov achieved a modern perception of
The Three-penny opera in a different way √ he presented contemporary
Moscow on stage with well dressed media stars at one pole and paupers or street beggars at the other. The former are represented by the popular actor, Konstantin Habensky, playing
the part of Mack the Knife (people from the audience are photographed next
to him in the course of the performance). The latter are represented by an
entire army of invalids and madmen, instantly filling both the stage and the
auditorium. So don't be surprised, if you are suddenly offered a homeless
cat or an inexpensive blow-job at Serebrennikov's performance.


Elena Kovalskaya




The main thing that Serebrennikov tried to do with the play was to rub its music-hall gloss off and at the same time challenge the nouveau riche style that has run the show in the MHT recently. This can be seen in the German-style ascetic and rigid scenery (the artist is Nikolay Simonov): bald brick walls, a ‘garbage’ entourage, a theatricalized but still having its recognized unattractiveness urban rabble that is eager to dive into a trash container up to the hilt. The beginning of the third act where we are presented with the gallery of Russian (or better to say, New Russian) types: paupers, freaks, hysterical women, migrant workers, cattle-like alcoholics, legless Afghan War veterans and singing in underground walkways tenors, truly deserves a brush of Breughel – all this picturesque crowd literally intrude in the seats of the audience. They come out of woodwork, step down from the stage, and appeal to compassion from the third tier.



Marina Davydova,
Izvestiya,
1.08.09





TRAVELLING COMPANY
90



PERFORMANCE SPACE
20 m x 20 m



FOR AUDIENCE OF
500 - 2000



FRIGHT
~300 m3



SET UP TIME
2 days