The Three Penny Opera
Miners Alley: 9/7 – 10/21
“The Three Penny Opera” by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht is a challenging work for any theatre. In spite of several
flashes of brilliance Miners Alley Playhouse’s production disappoints.Let’s
start with some of the “flashes of brilliance.”
Megan Van de Hey as Jenny
Megan Van de Hey is outstanding! Whenever
she is onstage the show rocks! When she is offstage one yearns for her
reappearance. Van de Hey portrays Jenny, the role played by Lotte Lenya at “The
Three Penny Opera’s” premiere. Ms. Van de Hey consistently delivers her vocals
–especially “Solomon Song” –with a skill and brio, which is sometimes lacking
or at least inconsistent in the performances of other members of the cast. When
this actor is onstage it’s impossible to take his eyes off her. One feels
cheated when she is shuffled-however correctly- into the back row of dancers.
Whether she is walking the tightrope of the small wall separating the stage and
the audience or telling a man in the front row, ”Don’t be shy,” while facing
him upside down in a dip provided by the arms of Rich Cowden’s McHeath, this artist
dazzles us.
Don Deveux (Mr. Peachum) did well in his singing of the a cappella
rendition of “The Song about Human Futility,” which was arranged by Music
Director Boni McIntyre.
Robert L. Gale’s Minstrel of Many Voices
is exceptional. This musician accompanies the actors onstage playing everything
from accordion to bassoon along with Donna Debreceni’s keyboards.
Rich Cowden’s McHeath is well sung and acted. One of the highlights
of the show is “Cannon Song,” Cowden’s and Verl
Hite’s (Jackie ”Tiger” Brown) exuberant duet.
Mel Horton really unleashes her voice in the role of Mrs. Peachum
in the scene in which she enlists Jenny’s aid in betraying McHeath.
Left to right: Juliette Peterson, Rich Cowden and Erica Lyn Cain
Juliette Peterson (Lucy) sports a superb soprano. So does Erica Lyn Cain (Polly.) “Jealousy Duet,”
their operatic catfight, gives both artists a chance to show off their fine
set(s) of pipes.
Michael Ingram and Daniel
Traylor turn in good performances in supporting roles.
Although no one is credited with the
choreography in the show, there is some and it is sometimes too big for the
stage. In one moment Mr. Deveux was unable to complete a move because he had
come to the end of the playing space and simply had to drop the intended stage
movement.
The show succeeds in
its garish depiction of the underbelly of society, which is well established
visually with the tawdry costuming (Erin
Leonard), grave-digging choreography and eye sore of a poster-splattered
brick and corrugated steel scenic design (Richard
L. Pegg.)
Director El Armstrong nails
the play’s core concept, that ‘the lack of money’ is the root of all evil’
superbly. One might, however, wish for a quicker pacing of the relentlessly
vulgar proceedings.
Brecht and Weill’s works
are intended to put forth philosophical ideas about society’s flaws more as
simple straightforward polemic rather than any kind of an entertainment. One
goes to this work knowing that Weill’s and Brecht’s “opera” is the antithesis
of most of today’s musicals that wish only to be the most popular ‘entertaining’
fluff. Whether one is a fan of
this show or not – and I must confess to not being one of its greatest
aficionados- the vocals need to be well sung. Those of Ms. Van de Hey are such
a banquet of brilliant virtuosity that the other cast members’ acting and
singing suffer by comparison. One must admit to a longing for the operatically
trained voices in Central City Opera’s production of this work several seasons
ago as well as of their 2011 production of “The Seven Deadly Sins,” which was
the last collaboration of Weill and Brecht.
Marlowe's MusingsThe lighting design done for Miners
Alley’s production by Karilyn Pytel
and Jonathan Scott-McKean is good
for the most part. However … one wishes that there were more of an effort to
create the look of those distorted faces in the paintings of the German
expressionists of this period such as James Ensor. Possibly that could have
been achieved as it was some years ago at Central City Opera with the use of
footlights.
Although older
theatergoers may find flaws, “Three Penny Opera” virgins will be enthralled.
Sept 7 – Oct 21
Fri. and Sat. @ 7:30
and Sun @ 6pm (Sun. Oct. 21 @ 2pm only, no 6pm that day)
Miners Alley
Playhouse, 1224 Washington Avenue (13th
and Washington 2nd floor entrance on 13th)
in Golden, CO.
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