Die Dreigroschenoper: Autor--Inhalt--English--Entstehungsgeschichte--Hintergrund--Analyse--Lesen--Fragen--Quiz

The Three-penny Opera was Brecht's adaptation of Beggar's Opera by John Gay. Brecht portrayed in his adaptation the collaboration of the gansters with the police to criticize the social conditions of his time in Germany. Since the subject matter of The Three-penny Opera is social critical and the means of representation are "epic", his Opera experienced an instant success. The play ran on stage in Berlin for almost a year. Then it went over the border of Germany. It was played in Moscow, Paris, Warsaw, Prague usw. Even today The Three-penny Opera is a favorate play in Germany. It is also repeatedly performed on American stages. The songs of The Three-penny Opera are well known. Here you can even check out a video recording of the movie The Three-penny Opera from many libraries. From this play on, Brecht started to develop a new theory on the dramatic representation, which he called the theory of the "epic theater." With this theory of the epic theater, Brecht contributed significantly to the modern drama and theater.