Rise And Fall Of The City Of Mahagonny

Rise And Fall Of The City Of Mahagonny description

The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, Weill and Brecht’s dystopian masterpiece, is in the capital.

In Mahagonny anything goes, everything is up for sale, and the pursuit of pleasure is worthwhile whatever it costs. The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, an extraordinary satirical opera by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, remains just as powerful despite dating back to the 1930s. It is also very rarely performed, making this production even more special. Expect an absolute storm of jazz, crime and toxic morals, directed to perfection by the Olivier Award nominee Jamie Manton and starring the world-renowned soprano Danielle de Niese.

A bold and provocative exploration of consumer culture, inequality, and happiness at all costs, the plot concerns three criminals on the run who create the town of Mahagonny on a slice of empty desert in the middle of nowhere. Their indulgent paradise is all about excess and escapism, a lawless place where you'll thrive as long as you have enough money. But when the cash runs out, chaos tales over and the dream begins to crumble. Jenny Smith and Jimmy MacIntyre sit at the centre of the mayhem – will they survive?

Brecht's super-sharp lyrics and a haunting score by Weill make this a deliciously dystopian classic. The iconic 'Alabama Song' is so compelling it was covered by both The Doors and David Bowie. Director Jamie Manton and soprano Danielle de Niese are supported by a brilliant ENO cast for this limited run. Rosie Aldridge plays Leokadja Begbick, Kenneth Kellogg is Trinity Moses and Mark Le Brocq plays Fatty the Bookkeeper, along with Richard Trey Smagur as Jimmy MacIntyre and Alex Otterburn as Back-Account Billy. Elgan Llŷr Thomas is Jack O’Brien, David Shipley is Alaska Wolf Joe, and Zwakele Tshabalala plays Toby Higgins.

The rest of the creative team involves André de Ridder as the conductor, Milla Clarke as the designer, and D.M. Wood as the lighting designer. Jeremy Sams is the translator.

Don't miss this remarkable opera! Buy Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny tickets to experience a darkly comic and truly disturbing production that's as relevant today as it was almost a century ago.

Playing at London Coliseum

St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4ES GB (venue info)

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