The Threepenny Opera Opens at Smothers Theatre

The Pepperdine University Fine Arts Division Theatre Department will present for the first time Bertolt Brecht’s groundbreaking musical The Threepenny Opera at Smothers Theatre in Malibu from Wednesday, April 6, through Friday, April 8, at 7:30 PM, with an additional matinee performance on Saturday at 2 PM.

Pepperdine associate professor of theatre Bradley Griffin directs the student cast, and will host a free pre-performance conversation with the audience in the Surfboard Room at Payson Library on Friday, April 8, at 7:30 PM.   

With a script by Bertolt Brecht and a score by Kurt Weill, The Threepenny Opera occupies a pivotal position in the history of musical theatre. The story portrays the life of Macheath, a notorious London gangster, whose marriage to Polly Peachum threatens to undermine London’s Union of Beggars, run by Polly’s father. Without this trailblazing musical, which produced the hit song “Mack the Knife,” the political musicals of Stephen Sondheim, as well as the John Kander and Fred Ebb songwriting team may not have been possible.

The show is presented as part of the Mary Pickford-Stotsenberg Performances series at Pepperdine, through special arrangement with R&H Theatricals, and funding provided in part by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc.

This opera contains strong language and adult themes, appropriate for ages 13 and up. Ticket prices range between $10 and $15, and are required to attend. For additional information, and to purchase tickets, visit the Center for the Arts website.