The Threepenny Opera

The Threepenny Opera, or, to give it its original title in German, Die Dreigroschenopfer, was a revolutionary piece of theatre written by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht in collaboration with the composer Kurt Weill. It directly challenges the audience with alienating techniques, e.g. the characters stand at times with their backs to the audience. Moreover, the score, by Kurt Weill, was very influenced by jazz, and the title song, Die Moritat von Mackie Messer, was later to be adopted by no less a jazz musician than Louis Armstrong as the loosely translated Mack the Knife. The play is based around the English poet John Gay's 18th century work, The Beggar's Opera.

The central character, MacHeath (Mack the Knife), a highwayman of some reknown, marries Polly Peachum. This displeases her father, Jonathan Peachum, who controls the beggars of London, and he endeavours to have MacHeath hung. This is somewhat complicated by the fact that the chief of police, Tiger Brown, is an old friend of MacHeath's. Peachum exerts considerable political influence and eventually MacHeath is arrested and imprisoned, escapes, then imprisoned once more. At the point of execution, he is pardoned and given a baronetcy.

The play challenges conventional notions of property, and, to paraphrase from the play, asks the central rhetorical question: "Who is the bigger criminal? He who robs a bank or he who founds one?"