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Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera)

Based on John Gay's Beggar's Opera

Barrie Kosky transforms Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's "Threepenny Opera" into a big-city ballad about people seeking happiness in a functional, sober world.

  • Die Dreigroschenoper

    Die Dreigroschenoper

    © JR Berliner Ensemble

  • Die Dreigroschenoper

    Die Dreigroschenoper

    © Jörg Brüggemann / OSTKREUZ

  • Die Dreigroschenoper

    Die Dreigroschenoper

    © JR Berliner Ensemble

  • Die Dreigroschenoper

    Die Dreigroschenoper

    © Jörg Brüggemann / OSTKREUZ

  • Die Dreigroschenoper

    Die Dreigroschenoper

    © JR Berliner Ensemble

  • Die Dreigroschenoper

    Die Dreigroschenoper

    © JR Berliner Ensemble

Its songs are legendary and its essentially trivial story about love, betrayal, business and morals underwent an equally insolent and intelligent revision regarding its social criticism: The Dreigroschenoper (Threepenny Opera), premiered at this very theatre in 1928 was an unexpected, world-wide overnight success. “Food first, morals next”, as the famous quote goes – however, a life in prosperity may be comfortable, but it is by no means a guarantee for a good one. Mack the Knife, Peachum and the others are more or less forced to keep their eyes on their own material advantage and to make considerable theatrical efforts to be able to look out for number one and, at the same time, to conceal this very fact. After all: Who wouldn’t prefer to be good?

In Barrie Kosky's reading, the "Threepenny Opera" becomes a big city ballad about people seeking happiness in a functional, sober world. That would begin, first of all, with not having to constantly fear being taken advantage of or coming up short. But that is precisely not the case in the world Brecht describes. On the contrary.

The fear of the crash lurks in the system, which knows no rules, but only winners or losers: distorting mirror of total capitalism. Thus, for Brecht, it is not human vices that produce social ills, but the other way around. However, in order to draw appropriate conclusions from this and to fundamentally change something about the circumstances, the characters are too busy pretending to others and to themselves.

Artists/Collaborators: Von Bertolt Brecht (Text) und Kurt Weill (Musik) unter Mitarbeit von Elisabeth Hauptmann (Autor/in), Nico Holonics (Mackie Messer), Cynthia Micas (Polly Peachum), Tilo Nest (Jonathan J. Peachum), Constanze Becker (Celia Peachum), Pauline Knof (Mrs. Peachum (am 28.+29.1.)), Kathrin Wehlisch (Tiger-Brown), Laura Balzer (Lucy Brown), Bettina Hoppe (Spelunken-Jenny), Sonja Beißwenger (Spelunken-Jenny (8., 25., 26. Dezember)), Josefin Platt (Der Mond über Soho), Julia Berger (Bandit/Hure), Nico Went (Filch/Smith/Bandit und Hure), Heidrun Schug (Mond über Soho (Double)), Barrie Kosky, Adam Benzwi, Sibylle Baschung, Ulrich Eh, Rebecca Ringst, Dinah Ehm

Runtime: Sun, 05/04/2026 to Sun, 03/05/2026

"Die Dreigroschenoper" mit Audiodeskription

Das Berliner Ensemble bietet Vorstellungen der "Dreigroschenoper" regelmäßig mit Audiodeskription – Live-Beschreibung über Funk-Kopfhörer – für Zuschauer:innen mit Sehbehinderung an.

Next date: Die Dreigroschenoper

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