Curtain Calls
Sally Hogarty
12/09/2009 01:26:54 PM
Contra Costa Times

Susannah Martin, who directed Town Hall's moving production of "Rabbit Hole," has turned her creative juices to Brecht's "The Threepenny Opera," now playing at Berkeley's Shotgun Players through Jan. 17.

Her edgy vision of Brecht's dark musical adds a punk twist, which flavors the music and the characters' costumes and passions. The play, full of contradictions, is funny. It's also dark and scary, and it's political, says Martin. Her strong cast easily incorporates the violence of the characters with their sense of humor and, in the case of MacHeath (wonderfully performed by Jeff Wood), his considerable charm. Every performer brings myriad strengths to his/her role, especially Kelsey Venter as Polly, whose incredible voice and considerable acting chops were a pleasure to behold.

Nina Ball (who designed the cozy home in "Rabbit Hole") creates a graffiti-strewn back alley for Brecht's world, with David Moschler providing the musical direction for the seven-piece band that drove the musical.

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