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    A fantastically good time
    Time Out
    A snarling, sexy beast
    The Independent

The Threepenny Opera Tickets

National Theatre - Olivier

In this bold new production at the National Theatre, Rory Kinnear starred as Macheath in Bertolt Brecht’s classic The Threepenny Opera. Based on Simon Stephen’s stimulating new black comedy translation of the original book and lyrics, this new National Theatre production brings Kurt Weill’s brilliant score to new levels.

Rory Kinnear starred as Macheath in this ground breaking new production of the Bertolt Brecht classic The Threepenny Opera, based on Simon Stephens' innovative new translation which brings out the best of Brecht’s dark and provocative comedy.

Directed by the National Theatre’s current Artistic Director, Rufus Norris, The Threepenny Opera explores the dire consequences of inequality, rather poignantly set in London, in this biting satire.

As the city prepares for the coronation, the underworld of thieves, whores and bent coppers carries on in the darkness. With Mr and Mrs Peachum ready for another day working their magic as street beggars, a shadows hangs over them, after their daughter failed to return last night.

Little do they know however that Polly Peachum has recently married the notorious criminal Mack The Knife. With the Peachum’s resolution to get her out of the marriage, making sure Mack gets arrested and hangs seems to be the only option. Will the Peachum’s get their daughter back, or will Mack save his neck?

Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s original first opened in 1932 in Berlin, as a socialist critique of the contemporary world, shortly before they were forced to leave Germany in 1933 due to the Nazis seizing power.

Since then, the so-called ‘play with music’ has been performed over 10,000 times throughout Europe and has been translated into more than 18 languages, with the song ‘Mack The Knife’ becoming a classic, covered many times by artists such as Bobby Darin and Louis Armstrong.

Rufus Norris, currently artistic director of the National Theatre, took the helm as director in this monumental new production following recent success in his inaugural season with Everyman and Woner.land.

Norris’ production was brilliantly complemented by Vicki Mortimer’s design work, creating a grimy yet brilliant portrayal of a crime infested Victorian London, well fitted to Brecht’s masterpiece.

Rory Kinnear played the lead role of Macheath, or Mack The Knife, who will be known by many for his role as Bill Tanner in the James Bond film series. Kinnear has also achieved great critical success throughout his theatre career, having won the Olivier Award for Best Actor for his role as the villainous Iago in the National Theatre’s production of Othello in 2014, as well as receiving great praise for his starring role in their 2010 production of Hamlet as well as appearing as Angelo in Measure for Measure at the Almeida Theatre.

Rosalie Craig co-starred as the bookish Polly Peachum. She is best known for her role in the 2013 Tori Amos musical The Light Princess which saw her being nominated for an Olivier Award and winning the Evening Standard Award for Best Musical Performance. Since then, Rosalie Craig has gone on to have highly successful roles in As You Like It, Sweeney Todd and The City of Angels.

With a brilliant creative team and some of the best musical talent on offer, The Threepenny Opera was a fantastically bold reworking of Brecht’s classic that is not to be missed. Having opened in May 2016, The Threepenny Opera ran until 1st October 2016.

Sorry this show closed 01 October 2016, we recommend these similar productions.

The Phantom of the Opera
ABBA Voyage
Les Miserables
Performance dates:
30 Sep 2016 - 01 Oct 2016
Running time:
2 hours and 40 minutes including an interval.
Age recommendation:
Recommended 12+
Audience Notes:
Fans of Brecht shouldn’t miss the opportunity to see this innovative reworking of his classic work, masterfully done by the National Theatre’s Artistic Director Rufus Norris.

If you are unfamiliar with his work, then it is still highly recommended for anyone who enjoys dark and biting satire in their theatre, with The Threepenny Opera delivering this in the bucket loads through brilliant performances by Rory Kinnear and Rosalie Craig.

Latest Audience Reviews

I loved the musical because it's different from the classic west end musicals and a bit similar t... More

The production and cast were great, but I didn't like the actual show. It just dragged on a bit w... More

Absolutely brilliant show.

Show was incredible, so dark and funny, and the set so original. Always love a bit of Brecht!

The show carries a warning of "filthy language and immoral behaviour", and this is delightfully a... More

Impressive performance of the company! So were the sets, the clothing... The National Theatre may... More

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