I have always enjoyed the music of Kurt Weill but had never seen The Threepenny Opera, a parody of operas created by Weill and playwright Bertolt Brecht, that incorporate a sharp political perspective and the sound of 1920s Berlin dance bands and cabaret. I am also a big fan of the always-talented and sometimes-brilliant Todd Schaefer, so perhaps I had built my expectations for New Line’s current offering of Weill’s long-lived piece, with Schaefer as Captain Macheath, to a level impossible to fulfill. In any event, I walked away glad finally to have seen this show, impressed with many of the pieces, but disappointed in others.
The show starts off with a gritty pop of color and attitude in the opening “Ballad of Mack the Knife.” Sarah Porter’s costume design was delightfully, sexily tawdry, especially for the chorus, and Rob Lippert’s set design had wonderful levels. The chorus of whores and cutthroats had some of the better character development, especially Margeau Steinau, Brian Claussen and Todd Micali. They infused their characters with layers and some great intensity, a power missing from some of the major performances.
The best scenes were between Mr. and Mrs. Peachum, a beautifully restrained performance by Zachary Allen Farmer and a boisterous, extremely loud one by Sarah Porter. Farmer’s voice is lovely, as is Porter’s, although she had some trouble finding her notes. Overall I found some of the music a bit colorless; the songs are hard to sing, and it felt as if the music had been altered to be easier but flatter. Christina Rios as Lucy Brown has a gorgeous voice, and I would have liked to see her trade roles with Cherlynn Alvarez, who had the larger role of Polly Peachum but lacked Rios’ voice and acting chops.
Overall, the major problem with the show was lack of menace, which led to lethargic pacing. The staging was languid and ambling, and most efforts in Scott Miller’s direction seemed to encourage the comedy over the tension of the piece. But if Macheath is too accommodating/charming/humorous, it calls into question his ability to be the leader of a gang that follows him out of admiration and fear. Schaefer has a lovely voice and is a good actor, but his Macheath never achieved the level of passion needed to prime the show. The lack of menace also leaves the socialist nature of the show in question. We understand people who steal when they are hungry, but what passions drive the man who kills for bread? I never believed Schaefer’s Macheath was a killer. The show runs through June 20.
Pictured: Zachary Allen Farmer and Sarah Porter in The Threepenny Opera at New Line Theatre
Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg
