Threepenny Opera gets punk’d at Shotgun

Karen D'Souza
January 14th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
San Jose Mercury News

Brecht rules! In this time of chaos, desperation and uncertainty, there is no one like political theater demigod Bertolt Brecht (”first comes fodder, then comes morality”) to break it all down for us regarding society, class and power. So it really hits the spot to see Berkeley’s ever adventurous Shotgun Players taking on the masterpiece that is “Threepenny Opera” and thrusting into the post-modern age, hard, in this raw and visceral punk rock incarnation. It’s like “American Idiot” collides with “Threepenny” in a dark ’70s back alley besotted with thugs, thieves, bankers and highwaymen of all stripes in this deeply grungy adaptation of the Brecht/Weill masterpiece. While Susannah Martin’s production has its rough spots, it’s also got a volcano-hot score and several juicy performances by Bay Area stalwarts such as Beth Wilmurt as Jenny Diver and Danny Wolohan as Tiger Brown. Indeed, so much ink has been spent on Berkeley Rep’s rise to national fame that folks often forget that nearby Shotgun is also a shooting star. So if you love epic theater or punk rock or you just need to get your bearing on the whole Wall Street imbroglio, get thee to Shotgun. This hit has been extended to Jan. 31 but is often sold-out with boisterous crowds rubbing elbows, talking dialectics and chugging Schlitz. It don’t get much better than this, people.

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