Intro to Course; The Threepenny Opera (1954)

Class Preparation

• For additional context and information about the creators of 3PO, ​in Broadway :The American Musical, read pp. 162-163 (Marc Blitzstein's connection to Brecht & Weill), pp. 164-167 (Weill's early Broadway success), and pp. 202-205  (Weill's later Broadway works).
• ​Handout of Class 1 slides
• The Threepenny Opera: Selected Lyrics (Marc Blitzstein translation)

YouTube Links & Playlists

 Playlists:

• The Threepenny Opera (Original 1954 Off-Broadway Cast Recording with Lotte Lenya, Bea Arthur, Charlotte Rae, Scott Merrill)
• Die Dreigroschenoper (1958 Columbia Recording of the complete score, sung  in German)
• The Threepenny Opera (2016 complete performance--in English--from London's National Theatre) I haven't watched this, but it looks intriguing--despite its near three-hour running time!
• ​Class 1 Videos (those shown during class)

"Extra Credit"

 Playlists for Further Exploration 

• More Songs from the Brecht-Weill Collaboration (A few songs from Happy End and The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny)
• Kurt Weill on Broadway (Seven well-known songs)
• LoveMusik (Original 2007 Broadway Cast Recording) Based on the Letters of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya, this musical has a book by Alfred Uhry and a score from Weill's catalog (both Berlin and Broadway). Michael Cerveris plays Weill, and Donna Murphy plays Lenya.