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The Threepenny Opera (Die Dreigroschenoper [diː dʁaɪˈɡʁɔʃn̩ˌʔoːpɐ]) is a German "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, The Beggar's Opera, and four ballads by François Villon, with music by Kurt Weill.
The Threepenny Opera, musical drama in three acts written by Bertolt Brecht in collaboration with composer Kurt Weill, produced in German as Die Dreigroschenoper in 1928 and published the following year. The play was adapted by Elisabeth Hauptmann from John Gay ’s The Beggar’s Opera (1728).
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn about the play that critiques capitalism and the bourgeoisie, written by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. Find the full play summary, character analysis, and important quotes from The Threepenny Opera.
A short summary of Bertolt Bretcht's The Threepenny Opera. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of The Threepenny Opera.
A classic film version of Bertolt Brecht's play, directed by G. W. Pabst and featuring Kurt Weill's music. The film follows the adventures of Mackie Messer, a Victorian London criminal, in both German and French versions.
- Mackie Messer
A musical play about the notorious London gangster Macheath and his love affairs with Polly Peachum and Lucy Brown. The play satirizes the hypocrisy and corruption of the upper classes and the criminal underworld.
Although set in Victorian England, the tone of The Threepenny Opera reflects the climate of Germany at the time Brecht wrote it—a few years before Hitler’s ascendancy. His Marxist view motivated him to angle The Threepenny Opera to inspire social change.
