It's some sort of unwritten law in Vienna -- Austria's capital can't be without The Threepenny Opera for a long time.
Although the Ensemble Theatre's (ET) production of Bertolt Brecht's "dramatic play with music" closes on May 2, it will reopen in autumn. From Sept. 14 to Oct. 10 and Nov. 30 to Jan. 10 the ET expects another string of sell-outs.
What sets this production apart from most of the others Threepenny Operas (among them one at the Burgtheater about a year ago) is the fact that Kurt Weill's music is heard in the rarely performed piano version.
Under Dieter Haspel's direction, Erik-Jan Rippmann is Mackie Messer (Mack the Knife), Edith Hollenstein his wife Celia Peachum, Schlomit Butbul is Spelunken-Jenny (Jenny Diver) sings the shows' biggest hit, Mack the Knife. Tickets for The Threepenny Opera can be ordered at +43-1-53 32 039.
- By Bernd Freimueller
Austria Correspondent