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University Microfilms International 300 N. Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106

8403477

Stoffel, David Neil

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY: AN INTERPRETIVE STAGING AS APPLIED TO UNIVERSITY OPERA THEATER PRODUCTIONS

The Ohio State University D.M.A. 1983

University Microfilms International300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106

Copyright 1984 by Stoffel, David Neil All Rights Reserved

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University Microfilms International

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY:

AN INTERPRETIVE STAGING AS APPLIED TO

UNIVERSITY OPERA THEATER PRODUCTIONS

DOCUMENT

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

the Degree Doctor of Musical Arts in the Graduate

School of The Ohio State University

By

David Neil Stoffel, B.M.E., M.M.

*****

The Ohio State University

1983

Reading Committee: Approved By:

Mario Alch V. Peter Costanza _ ___ <__ Adviser Herbert Livingston School of Music VITA

August 1, 1948...... Born - Marietta, Ohio

1971...... B.M.E., Heidelberg College, Tiffin, Ohio

1973-1976...... Teaching Associate, Department of Music, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

1975...... M.M., The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

1976-1979...... Assistant Professor of Voice/ Opera, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio

1979-Present...... Assistant Professor of Voice/ Opera, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

FIELDS OF STUDY

Major Field: Music

Studies in Voice. Professors Paul Hickfang, John Muschick and Mario Alch

Studies in Vocal Pedagogy. Professor John Muschick

Studies in Vocal Literature. Professors Mario Alch and John Muschick

DEGREE RECITALS

December 14, 1975, 7:00 p.m. Mershon Auditorium Columbus, Ohio

Professor - Paul Hickfang

Messiah

ii By

George Frederic Handel

(An original presentation as performed in Dublin on April 13, 1742)

Maurice Casey, Conductor

Charlotte Wiant Soprano Elaine Harrod Soprano Anita Berry Alto John goldsmith Counter-Tenor Kevin Gordon Tenor David Stoffel Ba s s

The OSU Chorale and OSU Symphony Orchestra

* * * * *

April 25, 1979, 8:00 p.m. Hughes Auditorium Columbus, Ohio

Professor - John Muschick

David Stoffel, Bass-Baritone

Gail Berenson, Piano

Ich habe genug, from Cantata No. 82 J. S. Bach Assisted by: Howard Niblock, Oboe Solo

O bellissimi capelli Falconieri Presto, presto io m'innamoro Mazzaferrata Dolce Amor, bendato Dio Cavalli

Du bist wie eine Blume Franz Liszt Kling leise, mein Lied Franz Liszt Es muss ein wunderbares sein Franz Liszt

0 tu palermo, from I Vespri Siciliani Giuseppi Verdi

Serenade Florentine Henri Duparc Lamento Henri Duparc Soupir Henri Duparc La Vague et la Cloche Henri Duparc

iii Five Finger Exercises Paul Reif A. Lines to Ralph Hodgson, Esqr. B. Lines to a Persian Cat C. Lines to a Yorkshire Terrier D. Lines to a Duck in the Park E. Lines to Mr. Eliot

* ie ie "k it

August 6, 1980, 8:00 p.m. Hughes Hall Auditorium Columbus, Ohio

Professor - Mario Alch

David N. Stoffel, Bass-Baritone

Paul Dorgan, Piano

Die schttne Magelone, Op. 33 Johannes Brahms

I. Keinen hat es noch gereut II. Traun! Bogen und Pfeil sind gut ftlr den Feind III. Sind es Schmerzen, sind es Freuden IV. Liebe kam aus fernen Landen V. So willst du des Armen VI. Wie soli ich die Freude, die Wonne denn tragen VII. War es dir, dem diese Lippen bebten VIII. Wir mtlssen uns trennen IX. Ruhe, Stissliebchen, im Schatten X. So tdnet denn, schdumende Wellen XI. Wie schnell verschwindet so Licht als Glanz XII. Muss es eine Trennung geben XIII. Geliebter, wo zaudert dein irrender Fuss XIV. Wie froh und frisch mein Sinn sich hebt XV. Treue Liebe dauert lange

ie 1c * * ie

November 6, 1981, 8:00 p.m. Weigel Auditorium Columbus, Ohio

Professor - Mario Alch

David N. Stoffel, Bass-Baritone

Raymond Gotko, Piano

iv Cheryl Boyd-Waddell, Soprano •

Heloise and Abelard Thomas Pasatieri for soprano, baritone and piano

The Telephone or L 1amour a trois Gian-Carlo Menotti characters:

Lucy: Cheryl Boyd-Waddell Ben: David N. Stoffel

v PREFACE

The following document is designed to aid those

people interested in staging epic opera and specifically

The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahaqonny, an opera by

Kurt Weill with libretto by Berthold Brecht. The contents of the paper have been taken from research into the music

and theater of Weill and Brecht, consultations with persons

familiar with and experienced in epic drama, and the wri­

ter's personal experience in directing and staging

university opera theater productions.

This paper focuses primarily on the interpretive

staging of Mahaqonny with careful attention given to authentic style. Drawings, sketches, and musical examples have been included along with additional information rele­ vant to the development of characterization and staging.

It is the author's original conception of a forth­

coming production. With the addition of a Doctor of

Musical Arts program in the School of Music at The Univer­

sity of Georgia, the feasibility of a full-length performance now exists, especially as a joint production with the Department of Drama.

vi TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

VITA...... ii

PREFACE...... vi

INTRODUCTION...... 1

Chapter

I. THE MUSIC OF KURT WEILL...... 5

II. THE THEATER OF BERTHOLD BRECHT...... 16

III. THE SET DESIGN OF MAHAGONNY...... 22

IV. THE SYNOPSIS OF MAHAGONNY...... 27

V. THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS OFMAHAGONNY ...... 31

VI. AN INTERPRETIVE STAGING OF'MAHAGONNY...... 36

Act I, Scene1 ...... 36 Act I, Scene2 ...... 40 Act I, Scene3 ...... 42 Act I, Scene4 ...... 44 Act I, Scene 5 ...... 45 Act I, Scene6 ...... 48 Act I, Scene7 ...... 48 Act I, Scene8...... 51 Act I, Scene . 9 ...... 52 Act I, Scene10 ...... 54 Act I , Scene 11...... 55 Act II, Scene12 ...... 58 Act II, Scene13 ...... 59 Act II, Scene14 ...... 60 Act II, Scene15 ...... 61 Act II, Scene16 ...... 63 Act III, Scene17...... 65 Act III, Scene18 ...... 66 Act III, Scene19 ...... 69 Act III, Scene20 ...... 70 Act III, Scene21 ...... 71

vii VII. CONCLUSION...... 73

APPENDIXES

A. Musical Examples...... 76 B. Floorplans...... 95 C. Set Design...... 102

BIBLIOGRAPHY...... 104 INTRODUCTION

The opera, The Rise and ^11 of the City of

Mahaqonny with music by Kurt Weill and libretto by

Berthold Brecht, had its first performance in Leipzig on

March 9, 1930 at the Neue Theater. Gustave Brecher con­ ducted, Walter Brflgmann staged the work and Casper Neher did the scenery. The performance set off one of the worst theater riots in history. Some critics declared the work to be the first "Zeitoper," the first opera to mirror the spirit of our times while others saw it as a confused expression of the frustration of all German intellectuals.

Lotte Lenya remembering Mahaqonny said, "It was a fanatical labor of love for this great avant-garde producer, (refer­ ring to Ernst Aufricht who produced the first Berlin performance at the Kurfdrstendamm-Theater in December,

1931) and fervently appreciated as such by all who saw it.

Today, I have but to meet a true Berliner of that time, a survivor of that truly glorious public, to hear him say:

'Yes, yes, the Dreigroschner was wonderful of course, but

Mahagonny --- ' and there follows a silence, a meaning beyond words, that I do understand. There were those who came night after night, Mahagonny addicts, who tell me they would leave the theater in a kind of trance and walk the streets, Kurt's insiduously bittersweet melodies repeating over and over inside their heads."'*'

In 1926 Brecht published a set of songs in

"Taschenpostille" (pocket breviary) and republished them in a larger edition called "Hauspostille" (domestic breviary). The "Hauspostille" even contained some melodies composed by Brecht. From these songs the men arranged a one-act "little" Mahaqonny including five songs from

"Hauspostille" and a new finale. Weill set the six poems to music creating a new structure called "Songspiel," a ballad opera with brief orchestral interludes.

Little Mahaqonny was prepared in a short time but its beginning goes back before 192 2. "Off to Mahagonny,"

"Life in Mahagonny, " and "God in Mahagonny" come before

1922 and "Alabama Song" around 1925. Brecht's working pattern was to re-use previous material and constantly revise Mahaqonny. Mahaqonny-Songspiel premiered at the

Festival for New Music in Baden-Baden on July 17, 192 7.

Its critical reception was as divided as the audience but it had been something never seen or heard before. 01 in

Downes, at the time writing for the New York Times, noted,

"This piece is 'Mahagonny,' a clever and savage skit on the degeneration of society, the triumph of sensualism, the decay of art. It is done by a young composer who knows his business . . . his was the triumph of the festi­ val, a.nd it is a pity that others could not be as witty,

^Lotte Lenya, "Lotte Lenya Remembers Mahagonny," Insert Notes to Mahaqonny Columbia recording K3L-243, p. 9. 3 as accomplished in the manipulation of material, and even,

save for some offensive and insurrectionary placards shown of the stage, as cognizant of the line between farce and

satire.1,2

Weill said that the Baden-Baden Mahagonny was a stylistic test for the three-act opera which was continued after the festival. Weill and Brecht completed the work in April, 1929. There were several revisions before the performance with Weill adding the "Crane Duet" in October

1929. The most extreme changes were used for the Berlin production in 1931. An authoritative edition with all the revisions incorporated was to have been done but the political climate of the time prevented the project.

David Drew's edition, used for this document, and publish­ ed by Universal-Edition in 1369, contains the revisions and reinstates some passages banned in the 1929 edition.

The city of Mahagonny is a symbolic example of freedom, where everyone comes and goes as he pleases. The city has overtones of America at the time of the gold rush.

"All of us were of course fascinated by America, as we knew it from books, movies, popular songs, headlines . . . this was the America of the garrish Twenties, wi r.h its

Capones, Texas Guinans, Aimee Semple MacPhersons, the

Florida boom and crash, also a disastrous Florida

2As quoted in Kim H. Kowalke, Kurt Weill in Europe (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilihs International, 1979), p. 59. hurricane . . . Hollywood films about the wild West and the Yukon, Jack London's adventure novels, Tin Pan Alley songs, I think it is not difficult to trace some of this

3 in the make-believe of America."

2 Lotte Lenya, "Lotte Lenya Remembers Mahagonny," Insert notes to Mahagonny Columbia recording K3L-243, p. 8. CHAPTER I

THE MUSIC OF KURT WEILL

An investigation into the musical style that Weill used in Mahagonny and how he set the text of Brecht is necessary to interpret accurately the staging analysis.

Kurt Weiil began composing the opera in 192 7 and incorporated a style based on elements borrowed from the jazz-influenced popular song. The key characteristics of this style are a rhythmic vitality found in dance-like rhythms and a clarity in form and texture. The stylized rhythms of the fox-trot and tango as well as the self- contained musical numbers, the extensive use of chords built on triads, seventh, ninth and eleventh chords, abun­ dant pedal tones, relatively simple texture, and vocal

4 melody create this illusion of a popular song.

A prominent example of this style is the "Alabama

Song." Utilizing the jazz-associated instruments of the saxophone, banjo, and guitar, the song is basically a strophic structure with a refrain, a typical character­ istic of Weill's song. "Bert Brecht, who did several librettos for me, and I coined the German word 'Song.'

4 Kim H. Kowalke, Kurt Weill in Europe (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International, 1979), pp. 113-115 and pp. 285-287. The term became very popular and was used extensively throughout Germany. It was quite different from 'Lied. '

It corresponded, I suppose, to the better type American popular song, and while it consisted of four or five verses and a refrain, it did not conform to a specific number of

5 measures as your popular songs do here."

The song also illustrated an important word common to both Weill and Brecht and a word to be considered very seriously by the stage director. In opera seria the aria was to convey the emotions of the characters; in epic opera the aria was used to present the morals or lessons intended by the authors. This lesson is also called the

'gestus.' Brecht at one point referred to gestus simply as the attitude adopted by characters toward one another.

The objective of the stage director is to decide how to best present the gestus intended. The crucial aspect of gestus is the translation of dramatic emotion and indi­ vidual characterization into a typical reproductible physi- £ cal realization. "What are the gestic means of music?

First of all, the gestus is expressed in a rhythmic fixing of the text. Music has the capacity to notate the accents of language, the distribution of short and long syllables, and above all, pauses . . . one can interpret rhythmically

^As quoted in Kim H. Kowalke, Kurt Weill in Europe (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International, 1979), p. 132.

6Ibid., p. 116-117. 7 one phrase in the most diverse ways, and the 'gestus' may be expressed in various rhythms; the critical factor is only whether the proper gestus is found. This rhythmic fixing which is obtained from the text in this way forms .. 7 the basis for gestic music.

"That rhythm according to Weill, is the key to gestic music explains its decisive and constructive force in his theatrical and non­ theatrical music. The vitality of rhythmic figures is perhaps the most recognizable fea­ ture of Weill's mature style. His use of modern dance idioms must be construed as one of his most powerful applications of the ges­ tic capability of rhythm, for he seldomed bor­ rowed the actual form of a specific dance; instead he isolated its identifying rhythmic kernel and built from it a musical structure that is saturated with this characteristic rhythmic figure."8

The gestic function of dance rhythms is evident in

Weill's scores, especially those composed between 1927 and

1934. The dance rhythms most often represented included the tango, fox-trot, blues, waltz, and march. The dance idioms found in Mahaqonny are:

Scene 2, "Alabama Song," p. 17, Moderato assai, cf = 69 , (blues )

Scene 4, "Off to Mahagonny," p. 32,

Scene 9 at 133, "Nothing in all your Mahagonny," p. 117, Largo, J =60, 4/4, (march)

Scene 11, "Stand Bravely Brothers," p. 128, j = 48, 0, (blues)

7As quoted in Kim H. Kowalks, Kurt Weill in Europe (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International, 1979), p. 419.

^Ibid., p. 118. Scene 13 at 11, "I've eaten two calves head to crupper," p. 166, Valse lento, J = J , (waltz)

Scene 18, "Everyone step up and buy your tickets," p. 242, Allegro molto, JL = 140, 6/8. (march)

Scene 20, "One morning when the sky was gray," p. 2 99, measure 5, J = 116, (waltz)

Scene 21, "Still we only built this Mahagonny," p. 307, Largo, J = 56, 4/4, (inarch)

"Within each gestic family of dance idioms there are

stylistic affinities which go far beyond similarity of 9 rhythmic figures and comparable gestic function."

The accompaniment texture, melody, and text help

develop a character. This is important to recognize in

doing a staging analysis. The rhythmic gestus helps to

interpret an entire scene correctly. The critical factor

is whether the correct gestus is discovered and what kind

of expression it is making with the text. "Even the melody is stamped by the gestus of the action that is

to be represented, but since the stage action is already absorbed rhythmically, much wider latitude exists for the

essential means of musical expression, the formal, melodic

and harmonic construction, that in purely descriptive music or in music which parallels the action under constant danger of being concealed.

9Kim H. Kowalke, Kurt Weill in Europe (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International, 1979), p. 118.

10As quoted in Kim H. Kowalke, Kurt Weill in Europe (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International, 1979), p. 421. 9

Weill had to enlarge the songs and musical units in order to encompass a full-length opera as Mahaqonny.

The units are themselves multi-sectional, creating problems of continuity, unity and organization. Weill used several constructive mechanisms to help bind the opera into a more unified whole.

One very apparent device is Weill's use of repetition seen through motivic, melodic, rhythmic, and whole sections of music. "Still we're only building Mahagonny," first sung by Begbick and then repeated by Fatty, Moses and

Begbick in Act I, Scene 1, recurs in three other musical numbers. The repetition occurs at critical points in the development of the city. "Such repetition not only relates musical units to one another but also directly comments on the dramatic structure, in each recurrence the passage acquires additional meaning in its new context and brings to that particular situation the connotations occurring in earliern • appearances. „ 11

Structural importance is achieved through Weill's repetious devices such as spoken dialogue, purely instru­ mental sections, where dialogue is spoken over orchestral accompaniment, recitative, arias, ensembles, and choral movements. The chorus in particular serves several of these functions. It acts as a backdrop throughout, supplying

^Kim H. Kowalke, Kurt Weill in Europe (Ann Arbor Michigan: University Microfilms International, 1979), p. 138. 10 visual and physical texture in many of the scenes as well as narrating and commenting on the chronicle of the city.

The choral writing varies froir aphonic four-part chorales, unison song-like sections and difficult contrapuntal pas­ sages .

Another important unifying device used previously in some of Weill's earliest works, is thematic transforma­ tion. "More subtle and less limited than literal repeti­ tion, motivic development of short passages and melodic cells is a purely musical (as opposed to textual) means of organizing large scale structures .... Of even more significance is Weill's manipulation of rhythmic cells which relate diverse thematic groups to one another through a common rhythmic foundation. This technique is closely interrelated with the gestic function of rhythm, for scenes related in content can be associated through rhythmic identity while other musical elements maintain their inde- 12 pendence." A good example of this can be observed in

Scenes 12, 13, 14, and 16 of the score that expose the corruptions of Mahagonny. They represent the different vices found in Mahagonny so the same rhythmic theme,

7-£GT US , is used by Weill to create and maintain continuity. (Refer to Appendix A, Examples 1, 2, 3, and 4, p. 7 7 and 78. )

■^Kim H. Kowalke, Kurt Weill in Europe (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International, 1979), p. 139. 11

Weill also had very good harmonic direction, espe­ cially when writing with a text. He chose tonal centers,

(he seldom used key signatures) that adapted to the parti­ cular character, voice range, chorus, and mood of the scene.

Mahaqonny consists of several musical scenes that use tonal centers suited to the dramatic events in the chronicle of the city. The following example is a tonal organization of

Mahaqonny. Major tonal centers are given for each scene.

Parentheses indicate introductions or codas added to the central structural unit of the number in order to facilitate movements to the next musical number.

ACT I

Scenes Characters Tonal Centers

1. Founding of Begbick, Fatty, (C)-E-A Mahagonny Moses 2. "Alabama Song" Jenny & Girls G , 3. Recruiting Fatty, Moses, (C)-G -d(A) Inhabitants Men 4. "Auf nach Lumberjacks D-E-(D) Mahagonny 5. Arrival of Lumberjacks, A-D-A-E Lumberjacks Begbick, Jenny, Girls 6. Jenny solicits Jenny, Jim A Jim 7. Crisis: Inhabi- Begbick, Fatty C-G-E-F-C tants are dissatis­ fied 8. Jim wants to leave Lumberjacks A, , 9. Life in Mahagonny: All E -E-C-E-E Eternal Art 10. Crisis: A All Bb -E(A) hurricane , 11. Mahagony is All B -G-E-A-D-B spared 1

12

ACT II

12. Rejoicing All D (A ) 13. Eating Men D-G(C) 14. Loving Begbick, Moses, Men F-G 15. Boxing Joe, Fatty, Bill, C-D-E-F Jim, Men 16. Drinking, Kim All (who are still D-A-D-Er cannot pay alive) B-D-A-B

ACT III

17. Jim awaits trial Jim D (A ) ,b 18. The trial All E-CrE F(Bn 19. "Crane Duet," Jenny, Fatty, E-E -E-C- Execution (All) 20. "Gott in Jenny, Fatty, Moses,D-E-G Mahagonny Toby, Bill 13 21. Destruction All D-G-B

Scene 3, for example, openswith an offstage male

chorus singing in a tonal center of C, placing them in

good vocal range and register for projection. Weill shifts

to G*3 during the entrance of Fatty and Moses, drawing more

focus of attention to them. The last two measures of the

scene move to (A) introducing the following scene. (Refer

to Appendix A, Example No. 5, p. 79.) Scene 15 begins in

C with Joe and Fatty, shifts to D at the poco tenuto of

Joe's solo, moves to E with the entrance of Bill, shift of

key for different character, and concludes in F with the

chorus of men. (Refer to Appendix A, Examples No. 6, 7, 8,

and 9, p. 79, 80 and 81.)

One can note, from observing the tonal organization,

that Act I, Scene 11 ends in B, while Act II, Scene 16

13Kim H. Kowalke, Kurt Weill in Europe (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International, 1979), p.141 13

concludes in B , and the final scene of Act III is a return

to B, "This illustrates Weill's expressive use of tonality

(a shift up or down usually by semitone for expressive or

intensifying effect) across the entire structure of the

opera. In this case the device mirrors the dramatic relax­ ation of Act II as the city is spared from the hurricane

and its inhabitants indulge themselves under the new law that 'everything is permitted.' Weill uses this 'expressive'

capability of tonal progressions throughout the opera both 14 within scenes and between musical units."

The orchestration of Mahagonny reflects his concern of a "universally understandable orchestra language." He selected instruments more commonly associated with the every day world. The instruments related to the characters that Brecht portrayed: the pool halls, cabarets, jazz cellars and revues. "Weill's orchestra, reduced to thirty players, has the at once strident and nostalgic sound of the jazz bands of 1918. Solos by the wind instruments are given preference; cantilenas by the strings are relatively rare; banjo, bass guitar, piano, harmonium and accordion, zither, saxophone and many types of percussion instruments color and flavor the tutti passages, but also are singled out for solos. In this too pervades the sophistication of

14 Kim H. Kowalke, Kurt Weill in Europe (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International, 1979, p. 141.

■^H. H. Stuckenschmidt, "City of Nets," Insert notes to Mahagonny Columbia recording K3L-243, p. 13. 15 conscious primitivism." This was a dramatic departure

from the standard orchestration of the 19th century sym­ phony. Weill not only chose a novel selection of instru­ ments but placed them in different group forms that achieved a unity of sound. The objective or gestus repre­ sented in each scene dictated the choice of instruments: a harmonium, saxophone, and zither.

Several characteristics are then found in Weill's orchestral grouping: the use of various solo jazz instru­ ments to emphasize expression and drama; the textural change of accompaniment at the repeat of a stanza or the second verse of a song; and a tendancy to add orchestral coloring, especially in an exciting closing scene. - These characteristics constantly relate to each other in

Mahagonny.

To summarize, "Weill achieves the respective unity of the sound body in one way by giving the different instru­ ment groups a definite music-dramatic function, and in' another by a steady interchange of instrumental groupings 1 fi of certain different colors." His use of rhythm to establish a gestus in a scene or underline a character is prevalent throughout Mahagonny as is the repetition of a rhythmic figure or melody to add continuity to the opera.

Thematic transformation and tonal relationship further

1 6 Gottfried Wagner, "Alienation in Weill's Music," Weill-Lenya, edited by Henry Marx, 1976. Articles designed for an exhibit. 15 binds the work and intensifies the expressive effect.

"That Weill was able to preserve the Song-style within the mammoth structure of Aufstieg, which included so many other modes of expression, is one of his greatest achieve­ ments. Those critics who have noticed only the pastiche aspects of this opera have missed the masterful ingenuity

Weill displayed in guaranteeing continuite of formal structure.

17 Kim H. Kowalke, Kurt Weill in Europe (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International, 1979), p. 143. CHAPTER II

THE THEATER OF BERTHOLD BRECHT

It is important to understand Berthold Brecht's

theory of theatrical performance in order to achieve an

appropriate style of staging in a production of Mahagonny.

Brecht's theatrical terms consist of "Verfremdung-

seffekt," (alienation effect, abbreviated into V-effect),

"epic theater," "gestus," and other similar phrases.

These terms form what Brecht believed true theater should

be. He felt that ordinary theater, or the "culinary thea­

ter," provided entertainment too easily absorbed and then

forgotten. He wanted the audience to feel emotional de­

tachment and be made to think. "It must at all times be made apparent to the spectators that they are not witnes­

sing real events happening before their very eyes at this

very moment, but that they are sitting in a theater, listen­

ing to an account, however vividly presented, of things

that have happened in the past at a certain time in a 18 certain place."

His audience is not allowed to identify too strongly with any of the characters. This encourages the maintain-

ance of critical detachment and a separate existence by

1 ft Martin Esslin, Brecht: The Man and His Work (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1971), p. 131. 16 17 separating the audience from the action. It is the di­ rector's responsibility to produce the effects that will keep the audience at a distance. The term "Verfremdung" is used to describe this activity. "With 'Verfremdung' went the 'Verfremdungseffekt,' where 'effekt' correspond­ ed to our own stage use of the word 'effects': a means by which an effect of estrangement could be got. Both these new words have a single object: to show everything in a fresh and unfamiliar light so that the spectator is brought to look critically even at what he has so far 19 taken for granted."

The term "gestus" plays as much an important part in Brecht's theater as it did in Weill's music. "The basic attitudes of human beings are expressed by what Brecht called the 'gestus,' a term that means not merely 'gesture' but covers the whole range of the outward signs of social relationships, including deportment, intonation, facial 20 expression. Each scene of a play has its basic gestus."

The texts contain a gestus appropriate to the sociological idea or ideas he wants to present and requires the actor to assume a tone of voice and body position that relates to it. The texts of Brecht's songs with the combination of words and music creates an even more compelling gestus.

■^John Willit, The Theatre of Bertolt Brecht (New York: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1968), p. 177.

p n Martin Esslin, Brecht: The Man and His Work (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1971), p. 140. 18

Brecht used the simplistic gestures of the "street singers"

as examples of ways to present the more vulgar popular songs.

"His own songs were designed to achieve a similar effect on actor and audience alike by crystallizing an essential, fundamental at­ titude and exhibiting it with the utmost clarity: despair or resignation, defiance or submission. The fundamental importance of the gestus determines the method by which actors and director tackle the play . . . It is en­ tirely irrelevant what the scene concerned might have looked like in real life, the director is concerned only with bringing out its social content and significance."21

The staging and positioning of the characters in a scene is done in a way that shows the social ideas in as concise and focused a means as possible. The scene de­ picts real life, but with something not quite right, some­ thing missing in the character and his or her movement and positioning that draws attention to its social content and importance. Brecht accomplished much of this through patterns of "grouping." The director needs to be aware of Brecht's ideas of grouping and how they relate to those of other directors. Brecht agreed with most other direc­ tors that stage movement and arrangements of groups must follow the rhythm of the text and provide visual expres­ sion to the movement. "An extra emphasis begins to declare itself in the commentary of Scene I in the 'Couragemodell:' positions should be retained as long as there is no compel­ ling reason for changing them; and a desire for variety is

O *1 Martin Esslin, Brecht: The Man and His Work (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1971), p. 141. 19 not a compelling reason. If one gives in to a desire for variety, the consequence is a devaluation of all movement on the stage; the spectator ceases to look for a specific meaning behind each movement, he stops taking movement seriously. But especially at the crucial points in the action, the full impact of a change of position must not be weakened. Legitimate variety is obtained by ascertain­ ing the crucial points and planning the arrangement around 22 them" The staging must bring out the social idea behind each incident. The gestus is then seen in the movement.

How the characters react within and around these groups on the stage is vital in bringing out the social content or gestus the director wishes to express.

"The basis of the Brechtian technique of acting is the conception that the actor should not regard himself as impersonating the character so much as narrating the action of another person at a definite time in the past.

To illustrate these actions and to make them fully under- ' stood by the audience he goes through the motions the character made, imitates the tone of his voice, repeats his facial expression, but only to i . the extent of quoting them. The Brechtian style of acting is acting in quotation 23 marks." The audience receives the gist of the character

2 2 Jan Needle and Peter Thomson, Brecht (Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press, 1981), p. 145.

23Martin Esslin, Brecht: The Man and His Work (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1971), p. 137. 20

but always with something withheld by the actor in order

to make the audience think critically. The actor serves as a narrator describing an incident, maintaining his first

reaction to the character throughout, showing him from a

socially critical point of view. Brecht believed that the actor should not express feelings but show attitudes and that words, music, and setting must become more independent of one another.

This attitude is a reaction against the music drama form of theater where words, music and set become unified.

The most important differences between Brecht's form of epic theater and dramatic theater are delineated in the 24 following figure as translated by John Willett.

Dramatic Opera Epic Opera

The music dishes up The music communicates music which heightens music which sets forth the text the text music which proclaims music which takes the the text text for granted music which illustrates music takes up a position music which paints the music gives the attitude psychological situation

Further explanation of the above chart is needed to better understand the terminology used by Brecht. "The music dishes up" means that here is the music, full-blown and final for the audience to consume. In epic opera the music constantly communicates different sociological at­ titudes. The "music heightens the text" in dramatic opera,

O A John Willett, Brecht on Theatre (New York: Hill and Wang, 1964), p. 38. intensifies emotion with a subjective approach as opposed

to a more objective approach in epic opera in which music

sets forth the text, and persuades the audience to make a

decision. "Music which proclaims the text" is music that

is more integrated with the text while "music which takes

the text for granted" may or may not proclaim or take issue with the text. The music "illustrates" in dramatic opera, presenting a preconceived musical picture in the image

of the scene design whereas music that "takes a position"

is not necessarily an anticipated judgment. "Music which paints the psychological situation" tells the audience whether the person is good or bad while music that "gives the attitude" allows the audience to decide.

One can observe from the schematic chart that the

Brechtian theater is intended to stimulate displeasure in the audience, a constant contradiction of character, it is a theater of accusation and condemnation. Brecht's theater is ". . .essentially a negative theater. That is why Brecht's plays conspiciously lack positive heroes, why the good characters are invariably crushed and defeated."

25 Martin Esslin, Brecht: The Man and His Work (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1971), p. 150. CHAPTER III

THE SET DESIGN OF MAHAGONNY

Brecht's method of staging differs from the conven­ tional in that it employs the use of a style called "Epic

Realism."

"The word Epic had some polemical value for a while, in that it annoyed the official guardians of dramatic art, but it has sometimes been a nuisance, in that it places Brecht's work in the category of the eccentric, the de­ liberately unorthodox, the willfully experi­ mental. Even an admirer like Mordecai Gorelik overstresses Brecht's iconoclasm, his love of machinery and scientific paraphernalia. 'It is freely admitted,' he writes in New Theatres for Old, 'that there is no sharp dividing line between Epic drama and a demonstration in a surgical or chemical auditorium. Epic plays have made use of lantern slides, placards and radio loudspeakers.' Nonetheless I would maintain that when Brecht's method differs from conventional theater, it differs along the lines of a mature common-sense theory of thestage. Before he wrote his book, Gorelik had himself found a good term for this method: Epic Realism. One could simplify the matter still further and say: Narrative R e a l i s m . "26

Narrative Realism falls between the two extreme methods of set design called naturalism and symbolism. An exact reproduction of a room is a naturalistic setting. A symbolistic setting shows various items and forms which represent a room. A wall, for instance, is represented by a window suspended in mid-air. The narrative realist

? 6 Eric Bently, The Brecht Commentaries 1943-1980 (New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1981), p. 59. 22 23 does not try to reconstruct the entire room or replace ac­ tual objects with symbolic ones. "He tries to avoid the remoteness from actuality of symbolism by using real ob­ jects, and the laborius explicitness of naturalism by making a more fastiduous selection from among the all too many 27 objects that make up the real scene." There is a dif­ ference in theory between the naturalist's choice of objects and that of the narrative realist. The naturalist focuses on giving the most accurate view of the actual room. If something is left out it should go unnoticed. The narra­ tive realist leaves something out and wants it to be noticed by the audience. "The difference in principle here springs 2 8 from a different view, not of reality, but of theater."

The following set design is the result of an inves­ tigation into epic drama and specifically the theater of

Berthold Brecht. It is the product of a collaboration between the writer and Mr. Don Massey, Assistant Professor of Drama, The University of Georgia. The drawings were done by Mr. Massey according to the writer's interpretation of epic drama. (Refer to Appendix B, p. 95, and Appendix

C, p. 102.) The set is designed for performance in the

Fine Arts Auditorium of The University of Georgia using a stage area twenty-five feet deep and forty-five feet wide.

It consists of the following five main features (Refer to

27 Eric Bentley, The Brecht Commentaries 1943-1980 (New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1981), p. 60 Appendix B, p. 95): 1. raked floor made of slated boards;

2. raked revolve twenty feet in diameter that can be ro­ tated to four feet at its highest point and three feet at its lowest; 3. wagon slot; 4. runway twenty-four feet long; and 5. five telephone poles running diagonally up­ stage left to downstage right. The raked floor was design­ ed for better sight line for the audience and projection of voices by the singers. The revolve solves the many scene changes and conforms to Brecht's theory of the use of mechanical devices as part of a set. The wagon slot is used to bring in and out various large props (i.e., truck, fence, platform, pool table and spectators' gallery) while the runway serves as an entrance and exit and as a location for various groups of people. The telephone poles enhance the visual effect of a city (Refer to Appendix C, p. 102) and serve as projection screens. The Brechtian theater called for the exhibition of independent pictorial settings.

There are six floorplan drawings showing Scenes 1 through 21. (Refer to Appendix B, p. 95.)

Floorplan I, Scene 1

Floorplan I represents the founding of Mahagonny.

The use of a truck is required along with the need to place it in an integrated position within the set. A wagon slot is used to station the truck in an upstage right area ad­ jacent to the revolve, runway, and raked floor. 25

Floorplan II, Scenes 2, 3, and 4

The above scenes show an area of the city of Maha­ gonny. A chain-link fence is used to replace the truck in the wagon slot to give the illusion of the outside of the city. The fence rides in on a wagon and ccntilevers over the revolve.

Floorplan III, Scenes 5, 6, 7, and 8

The "Mahagonny Wharf," where people are greeted as they arrive to the city, is depicted in these scenes.

There needs to be room to allow movement downstage and up­ stage right and left so the raked floor remains clear and unobstructed. A platform replaces the fence in the wagon slot. The platform provides a connecting link onto the upstage runway. The revolve is turned clockwise approxi­ mately four feet changing its level position from previous scenes. Various "real objects" found on a wharf are placed on the revolve but in an upstage position to keep the area open for grouping of people.

Floorplan IV, Scenes 7, 9, 13, 14, 15, and 16

These scenes represent life in Mahagonny. They re­ quire the depiction of the inside of a hotel complete with bar, pool table, dance floor and tables and chairs. The revolve is turned counter-clockwise four feet becoming a bar complete with dance floor and visible upstage piano.

Tables and chairs are placed throughout the raked stage and a pool table replaces the platform in the wagon slot. Floorplan V, Scenes 10, 11, 12, and 17

The outskirts of Mahagonny. Scenes 10, 11, and 12 deal with the impending hurricane that is threatening to destroy the city. The revolve, wagon slot, and raked stage are cleared as the fence is returned to the wagon slot.

The highest point of the revolve is turned clockwise down­ stage front and the space underneath it (four feet) becomes a storm shelter where people hide.

Floorplan VI, Scenes 18, 19, 20, and 21

The set depicts the inside of a courtroom. Bleacher- type seats serve as a spectators' gallery in the wagon slot as the revolve is rotated so that the lowest point is downstage center. The seats serve as a location for the people of Mahagonny and the revolve becomes the courtroom with a judge's bench upstage center, witness stand down­ stage right and a chair downstage left. On the downstage

•right raked floor is a table with chairs.

The set design is basically open (no walls), utiliz­ ing many "Brechtian" ideas of epic theater. It is practical in that it services many different scenes effectively with, little time lost during scene changes. Visually, it is most interesting with the use of various levels and pro­ jection screens. The design offers a variety of groupings and movement among the principals and chorus that allows for better achievement of "alienation" and "gestus" throughout. CHAPTER IV

THE SYNOPSIS OF MAHAGONNY

The following is a synopsis of the opera taken and

edited from Opera News, Vol. 45 , (April, 1981).

ACT I

An announcer introduces the scenes. During the

period of the Great Depression, a battered truck breaks

down in a desolate area somewhere in the U.S. Three

fugitives from justice, Fatty, Trinity Moses and the Widow

Begbick, get out. With nowhere else to go, they found

a city on the spot— Mahagonny, the City of Nets. Here

there will be 'amusement, while everywhere else there is

labor and toil; a week here will be seven days without

working. They put a table under a palm tree; the "Rich

Man's Hotel" will be the city's core.

Soon the city thrives with transients and whores,

among them Jenny (Alabama song: "Oh, show us the way to

the next whiskey bar"). News of a paradise spreads. Dis­

contents from all over pour into Mahagonny, including four

loggers from Alaska— Jimmy Mahoney, Alaska Wolf Joe, Jack

O'Brien and Moneybags Billy. The Widow Begbick welcomes

the Alaskans, offering them whores, including her best new girl, Jenny, who holds Jack at bay. Jimmy chooses

27 28

Jenny, and she breaks the ice ("Oh Jimmy, now you're really mine").

But Mahagonny's prosperity wanes. Nothing has been caught in the City of Nets. People are leaving, and with them money and the city's lure ("Oh, all this Mahagonny").

Jimmy tries to leave because he has seen a sign forbidding something. He says he will do anything he likes— even eat his hat— but his friends calm him down and drag him back to town. At the bar, Jimmy's frustration crescendos ("Deep in Alaska's snow-covered forests"). Mahagonny is anything but a paradise— it is nothing, and a nothing on which he spent his hard-earned hopes and money. Mahagonny was built because there was nothing to rely on and too much peace; now it fails because everything is too regular, too depend­ able.

A hurricane approaches. In the night, Jimmy realizes that human happiness is based on lawlessness and amorality

("As you make your bed, you must lie there").

ACT II

"If you want something, you must simply take it"— when the storm miraculously spares Mahagonny, the people adopt this motto. "First comes the greedy eating," say the men, "then comes lovemaking, then the boxing matches, then booze." The gluttonous Jack blissfully eats himself to death ("I've just finished eating"). The Widow Begbick rushes men through the whorehouse. Jimmy and Jenny, watch­ ing passing cranes, notice wistfully their brief strength 29

in togetherness (crane duet: "See how those herons fly").

Next, Jimmy bets all he owns on Joe in a boxing match and

loses when Joe is knocked dead by Trinity Moses. At the

bar everyone drinks, and Jimmy's fantasy of escape— he

takes a billiard tabM for a stormtossed boat home to

Alaska— collapses when he "disembarks" in Mahagonny. What

is more, he can't pay for his drink or a broken billiard

cue. No one will help him out, including Jenny, who ad­

vises everyone to look out for himself (reprise: "As you make your bed").

ACT III

Jimmy, tied up and chained to a fence, dreads the

coming day ("When the sky grows brighter").

In Mahagonny, the court of justice is like a theater.

Trinity Moses, the prosecuting attorney, sells tickets.

A murderer is acquitted. When Jimmy Mahoney's case comes up, he is sentenced: for lesser infringements, such as the seduction of Jenny and the singing of forbidden songs, he gets hard labor and jail, but for lack of money, the greatest of all crimes, he is summarily sentenced to death.

Citizens of Mahagonny now dream of another city,

Benares, as people once dreamed of Mahagonny (Benares song:

"There is no money in this town").

While Jimmy says good-by to everyone, he exhorts them to live to the fullest while they can (Let no man assure you"). He is electrocuted as the people enact a play about God coming to Mahagonny. They discover they are impervious to God's threats of hell because they al­ ready live there ("One cold and gloomy afternoon")'.

The cost of living is now prohibitive. Giant pro­ cessions herald Mahagonny's end. The crowd's placards show them at odds with life and one another. Jimmy's cof fin is borne in. "Cannot help a dead man," is the chant.

"Cannot help ourselves or you or anyone." CHAPTER V

THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS OF MAHAGONNY

In any dramatic production, an understanding of the characters and their particular roles is important to the interpretation of the piece. Musical, as well as acting, ability must be a major concern when selecting this par­ ticular cast. The composition requires many musical skills with very good singers, as well as actors. The "Mahagonny-

Songspiel" which premiered at the Festival for New Music in

Baden-Baden on July 17, 1927 used such people. "The cast of operatically trained singers included one exception,

Lotte Lenya was (to Brecht's delight) vocally untrained and provided a unique contrast to the other female voca- 29 list, Irene Eden." The most recent Metropolitan Opera broadcast of the full-length Mahagonny on April 4, 1981 featured such excellent singers as Paul Plishka, John Dar- renkamp, Teresa Stratas, Richard Cassily, and Nedda Casei.

Skillful acting is also needed as the director must stylize the characters according to epic theater. The characters represent in Brecht's mind, a particular aspect of society.

Their very names symbolize parts of society that interested

2 9 Kim H. Kowalke, Kurt Weill in Europe (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International, 1979), p. 58. 32

Brecht. "Brecht loved coining names and words which had 3 0 half references or multiple and contradictory references."

The following are the characters of Mahagonny;

Lecodia Begbick (Alto or Mezzo-Soprano)

Begbick establishes herself immediately in Scene 1 as the "overseer." She is a strong dominant woman who organizes the building of the city of Mahagonny. She sym­ bolizes the spider that draws people to the city and entraps them in a net. Her appearance is illusioned as spiderlike, seductive and sinister. Her singing must exhibit strong vocal projection to match the domineering personality.

Good control of placement must be evidenced particularly 1 2 in the middle and chest registers from B to F# , (Refer to Appendix A, Example No. 10, p. 82). She needs solid focus of tone to project through heavy orchestration.

Fatty, The Bookkeeper (Tenor)

Fatty represents the "Culinary" nature of Brecht's vocabulary, a glutton with nothing but pleasure and satis­ faction on his mind, who eventually eats himself to death in Scene 13. His physical appearance obviously is large and his dress is that of a 1930's gangster. Brecht was fascinated with many periods of American society. He is given a well defined comically stylized movement, slinking

30 Berthold Brfecht;. The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, Translated by W. H. Auden & Chester Kallman (Boston: David R. Godine, Publisher, 1976), p. 16. 3 3

about the stage in a comic strip fashion, establishing a

distinct "gestus" of movement. His singing requires an

almost "heldentenor" voice capable of singing to a solid 2 A with full resonant quality. (Refer to Appendix A,

Example No. 11, p. 83.)

Trinity Moses (Baritone)

The name Trinity Moses connotates organized religion

in a capitalistic society. Trinity is a partner of Fatty

and Begbick, showing Brecht's method of contradiction of

character, a gangster with a religious name. His movement

is stylized as is Fatty's to give definition to his charac­

ter. The voice should be of dramatic quality capable of

good projection in the middle and upper registers. He b X seldom sings below B but often harmonizes in ensemble 1 2 singing in the middle register, B to B . (Refer to Appen­

dix A, Example No. 12, p. 83.)

Jenny Smith (Soprano)

The role of Jenny more than any other in the opera

requires an actress of superior ability. There are two

character sides to her of an erotic-brutal duality. Jenny must appear strongly to the audience that she is not exact­

ly what she seems to be. To Jimmy, she is a comic strip

version of a girlfriend. To the audience, she is an un­

caring prostitute willing to denounce Jimmy at the end and watch him condemned to death. She has to play the girl­

friend but be able to step out of it and portray her true 34 self. Her singing is not particularly demanding. A styl­ ized "pop" delivery is required, especially in "Alabama

Song." (Refer to Appendix A, Example No. 13, p. 84.)

Jimmy Mahoney (Tenor)

The character of Jimmy must possess a strong tenor 2 voice of beautiful quality and a range extending to A .

Jimmy is one of the four Alaskans who arrive in Mahagonny seeking the good life. Brecht was interested in the author

Jack London with his man against the wilderness themes and used these Alaskans as examples. Jimmy is the "All-Ameri­ can Boy" cast into a city of derelicts, beggars, and thieves. A man against the wilderness of the city. He must exhibit a naivete toward Jenny and a superficial ap­ pearance as the man who can right evil but in a comic strip sense of a "Superman" or "Captain America." His singing will, if it is good enough, sustain the strength of the character through the opera. (Refer to Appendix A, Example

No. 14, p. 85. )

Jack O'Brien (Tenor), "Bank Account" Bill (Baritone), and

-"Alaska Wolf" Joe (Bass)

These characters represent the other three Alaskans who come to Mahagonny seeking enjoyment and fortune. They represent, as Jimmy, characters from London's novels. All three should be cast in accordance to their singing ability.

Their characterizations are reinforced with appearance and movement, for example, "Bank Account" Bill wears an 35 obviously too large stripped three-piece suit with the sign "BANK" attached to his coat lapel and a hat with dol­ lar bill patterns. (Refer to Appendix A, Example No. 15, p. 85.) CHAPTER VI

AN INTERPRETIVE STAGING OF MAHAGONNY

The following scene by scene interpretive staging was designed for a production tentatively scheduled at

The University of Georgia during the 1985-86 school year.

The writer hopes that the staging and set design presented in this chapter will form the basis for that performance and other productions which may be given at similarly sized institutions in the future. For purposes of this examina­ tion, the writer has used the piano/vocal score by Norbert

Gingold, revised by David Drew and published by Universal -

Edition, New York, New York, 1969. All specific page num­ bers given in the staging refer to the piano/vocal score.

Musical examples cited are located in Appendix A.

Act I, Scene 1

The opening of Scene 1 begins with a fugue-like orchestral prelude and recitative. The music is depicting movement, in this case escape from the police by Begbick,

Fatty, and Moses. The projection screens show photographs of the three. A warrant for their arrest appears on the screen culminating with a message moving from the upstage screen to the downstage screen reading, How the City of

Mahagonny Was Founded. The pictures coincide with a

36 37 particular musical motif that enhances the effect visually and musically. The faces of the fugitives are shown page 3, rehearsal mark {l], measure 10. The strong accented downbeat signals a flash of Begbick, the downbeat of measure 11 a picture of Moses, and measure 12 a picture of Fatty.

(Refer to Appendix A, Example No. 16, p. 86.)

The three fugitives enter on a truck moving into the wagon slot. (Refer to Appendix B, Floorplan No. 1, p. 96.) The truck immediately becomes a part of the set.

Brecht liked to . . ."set up an interaction between the

'real' object (chair, tables, or whatever) and the 'arti- 31 ficial' frame (the stage)."

Moses and Fatty come out of the truck and begin activity downstage right. Since Fatty represents the

"culinary" idea in the opera, a picnic vignette begins be­ tween the two characters. Begbick gives the audience a sense of her capitalistic superiority by overseeing and organizing the activity. The trio must execute spoken dialogue over orchestral accompaniment where timing is extremely crucial between singer and conductor. The down­ stage right stage position offers them better voice pro­ jection and cueing from the conductor.

Projection of slides change constantly, pages 5 through 7, against the activity of the three characters,

Choosing key musical points of interest for slide changes

31 Eric Bentley, The Brecht Commentaries (New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1981), p. 61. 38 to occur. Groups of people begin to come onstage from the upsuage runway, page 7, rehearsal mark |§J. This is done for three reasons. First, a visual alienation effect is achieved between the stationary grouping of people and the constant movement and activity of Fatty, Moses, and

Begbick. Secondly, it serves as a human backdrop for Act

I, Scene 2, and Act I, Scene 3. Thirdly, it gives the au­ dience the impression of people observing the growth of

Mahagonny; people who will eventually become the citizens of the city.

Begbick formulates a plan of founding a city of nets to ensnare prospectors eager for pleasure, along with an establishment called the "Rich Man's Hotel," page 8. She begins to take control of the stage as the solo arioso is introduced, page 8, rehearsal mark [jj]- She helps reinforce this control by taking material things away from Fatty and

Moses and placing them in the truck. She gradually works downstage right to enhance the full projection of her sus­ tained and dramatic singing, page 10, measure 5. Slide projections show images of cities in various stages of development, growth, and decay. Pictures of different species of spiders and webs of various sizes and designs are shown to reinforce what Begbick is and what she is singing about, a city of "nets."

The music throughout is a sophisticated opera aria and is staged in a stationary manner. Visual contact is required with the conductor as there are several awkward 39 rhythmic patterns between the solo line and orchestral ac­ companiment. (Refer to Appendix A, Example No. 17, p. 85.)

It is interesting to note the subtle alienation effect

Weill achieves in the orchestration as Begbick sings of

"gin and whiskey, young girls and young boys." A vulgar text set against a very pleasant accompaniment. It is worth listening to without the interference of excessive stage activity.

Begbick shows more superiority, ordering Fatty and

Moses to build Mahagonny, page 12, measure 14. They gather various items from the truck to represent parts of the city. It adds more interest visually and establishes a strong gestus, turning the truck into the foundation of the city: a gestus of significance that is used again in the later destruction of the city. The scene concludes with "Still we're only building Mahagonny," pages 13 through 16, first sung by Begbick and repeated immediately by Fatty, Moses, and Begbick. It recurs in three other musical sections at critical points in the chronicle of the city. This use of repetition by Weill helped establish a sense of continuity throughout the opera.

The three assume a posed stage position allowing the text to be driven and absorbed by the audience. Fatty and Moses move to the bed of the truck, page 15, measure 1, while Begbick remains on the ground. This affords a prac­ tical trio formation with good vocal projection and eye 40 contact with the conductor, while conforming to the idea of "grouping," according to Brecht.

Act I, Scene 2

Scene 2 represents in theater a "carpenter" scene, a way in which a scene is played in front of the curtain while the stage is cleared and arranged for following scenes. These scenes usually call for a change of locale and require the complete change of set. This particular set is designed without a traveler so that set changes are seen in full view of the audience. The problem is one of lighting and how much of the background to illuminate.

The decision between the Director and Music Director is one of whether it is strong enough musically to stand alone, and are the performers good enough to execute it alone.

First "Alabama Song" is one of the more melodic selections in the entire opera and represents Weill's interest in the 1920's-1930's dance idiom of writing and playing. It shows the influence of jazz and the inherent instruments in this idiom— saxophone, banjo, and guitar.

It also recurs in the Finale to Act I and the Finale to

Act III, each time with greater intensity, once again il­ lustrating use of repetition by Weill to help bind the opera.

It is in this song that the audience begins to see, through Weill's rhythmic figures, the two personalities of

Jenny. The song opens with Jenny singing "Oh show us the way to the next whiskey bar" set against a percussive rhythmic accompaniment with harmonic dissonance. (Refer to Appendix A, Example No. 18, p. 87-) When the song breaks into the ballad, "Oh Moon of Alabama," the accom­ paniment shows much more harmony with a very gestic repeti­ tious rhythmic pattern of two eighth notes-quarter note

( J 1 J S) J ) set against a beautifully sustained melodic

line. (Refer to Appendix A, Example No. 13, p. 84.)

The two character sides of Jenny are presented to the audience through the music and text of the song. Jimmy sees only the good side while the audience observes both the good and bad. She sings very melodically of "Oh Moon of Alabama" but changes attitude drastically during her singing of "Oh show us the way to the next whiskey bar."

One side of Jenny is pretty and pure, the other ugly and brutal. It is exactly what Brecht and Weill wanted to achieve: a constant contradiction and alienation through music, text, and character.

"Alabama Song" is a strong musical number making a definite statement to the audience. The staging is station ary, concentrating on a "grouping" effect. A change of set has taken place before the song begins. (Refer to Ap­ pendix B, Floorplan 2, p. 97.) The truck is backed out of the wagon slot and a chainlink fence rolled in on a plat­ form. Six girls bring on the trunk and immediately move downstage right of center. "Brecht warned his actors to guard against always gravitating to the center of 42 32 stage." The background of people becomes motionless except for slide projections displaying pictures symbolic of the music and text. Movement within the group of women consists of poses reminiscent of Marlene Dietrich. Sophis­ ticated poses occur during the "Oh show us the way to the next whiskey bar" section, pages 17, 20, and 21, while vul­ gar and risque poses occur during each rendition of the ballad "Oh Moon of Alabama," pages 18, 19, 21, 22, and 23, creating an alienation effect. The audience is kept at a distance, never allowed to identify too strongly with the character and yet able to listen to how the music takes issue and shows behavior in the text. A projection for

Scene 3 is shown on the farthest downstage right projec­ tion screen as Jenny and the girls exit.

Act I, Scene 3

Scene 3 offers several performance problems. The major one is an offstage male chorus made up entirely of tenors. The singing is a sustained 6/4 (i = 105) with a demanding high tessitura. There is a logistical problem of where to place them offstage. An offstage left or off­ stage right position is possible but creates a problem of balance. There is a screen directly behind the set (upstage center) and the placement of the chorus behind the screen offers a solution. The screen is transparent so the

32 Jan Needle and Peter Thomson, Brecht (Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press, 1981), p. 137. 43

singers can see the conductor, and it helps muffle the

sound and enhances the sense of distance. The choral sing­

ing is all unison, high in tessitura, allowing for good

projection.

The music through pages 24 and 25 is very chromatic

with a constant shifting up or down in half-steps. "This

illustrates Weill's expressive use of tonality, a shift

up or down usually by semitone for expressive or intensi­

fying effect ....

The onstage chorus, which has been serving as a

stationary backdrop, begins to group into little vignettes.

A few people stand while some move about acting out "mime"

gestures of city life. We see a pickpocket working through

the crowd in the stage left runway area while a street

fight between several men takes place downstage right on

the floor stage. Men roll dice on the revolve as others

stand by and watch. Pictures on the projection screens

reinforce this, showing images of people, street scenes,

smog, pictures illustrating the beauty and ugliness of

cities. Most of the action takes place in the upstage

area around the fence and revolve. The accompaniment tex­

ture changes on page 26, meausre 1, preparing the entrance

of Fatty and Moses. They enter on the runway through the

crowd and come downstage left of center, separating

■^Kim H. Kowalke, Kurt Weill in Europe (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International, 1979), p. 141. 44 themselves from the rest of the people. They sing a duet lamenting the woes of city life, page 26. The music takes issue with the text. The vignettes behind them freeze and allow the focus of attention drawn to Fatty and Moses.

The offstage chorus joings the singing, page 29. Vignette scenes onstage again become active as Fatty and Moses move upstage and interact with them through the end of the scene, page 31. The movement of the different groups is important to the gestus that is understood by the audience. The objective is to make the audience observe the action from a critical and distant point of view. The scene blacks out and everyone remains motionless as the projection over­ head displays Scene 4.

Act I, Scene 4

Scene 4 introduces the four lumberjacks from Alaska;

Jim, Jack, Bill and Joe. They make up a solo quartet of two tenors and two basses, and sing the entire scene TTBB.

Once again Weill uses his dance band style featuring a percussive accompaniment with an emphasis of a dotted eighth-sixteenth note rhythm. (Refer to Appendix A,

Example No. 19, p. 87.)

The staging throughout the entire scene is one of a barbershop quartet, reminiscent of the "gay nineties" and complete with all the typical stylized gestures. This creates a strong illusion of America, an appropriate effect since Brecht "Americanized" much of the opera in the way he used names, locales, and customs. The men enter from 45 stage left and move downstage right of center to the apron of the stage where a white spotlight focuses on them. The background is dark and everyone from the previous scene is frozen in place. The projection screens show pictures of prostitutes, money, and people walking in city streets.

Each time the men break into the rendition of "Shine on harvest moon of Alabama," pages 33, 35 .and 37, pictures of barberhops and barber poles appear on the projection screens. The four men execute a figure eight walking pat- term to till the last twelve measures of page 39. The background people remove the fence and replace it with a platform which is the same height as the runway. The re­ volve is turned to the right while various props symbolic of a wharf are placed on it. (Refer to Appendix B, Floor- plan 3, p. 98.)

Act I, Scene 5

Scene 5 opens with Jim, Jack, Bill and Joe at the

Mahagonny wharf. They are standing on the upstage revolve in an elevated position, well above the activity and move­ ment of the chorus on the platform, runway, and floor.

This creates a unique alienation effect, the chorus sepa­ rates the men from the audience. The activity of the chorus includes vignettes, some of which were seen in the previous scene, helping to maintain a sense of continuity. Begbick enters page 41,: rehearsal mark l55l as the accompaniment changes texture. She comes down the runway and moves to 46

the revolve to address the men. The activity on the raked

floor includes scenes reminiscent of the MGM musical Show­

boat : the slave-master scenario complete with an exaggerat­

ed mime presentation of the white boss standing over the

slaves cracking his whip. Begbick is introduced to the men, each one of whom displays a name symbolic of capital­

istic society. For example, "Bank-account" Billy, illus­

trating Brecht's notion that all capitalists in America had money. As the men are introduced, slide projections

show pictures representative of their names.

Begbick begins spoken dialogue, page 43, measure 12.

The accompaniment is the same as when she made her entrance earlier, showing Weill's use of a gestic rhythmic pattern in taking issue with a character. (Refer to Appendix A,

Example No. 20, p. 88.) Begbick's purpose through Scene 5 is to introduce the men to the prostitutes. Each time this gestic rhythm pattern is heard, the projection screens show pictures of women. The pictures need to show girls with pretty faces but not so pretty bodies and vice-versa. They need to show the audience that something is not quite right, that something has been missed in some way. It helps to draw attention to the supposedly perfect city of Mahagonny, and yet not so perfect.

All activity on stage stops when Begbick begins her spoken dialogue, page 43, measure 12, and remains motionless through page 45, measure 1. The underscoring is supporting the dialogue and the audience needs to listen to the 47 activity in the music and observe the motionless characters on the stage. Jimmy sings, "Come out you beauties of Maha­ gonny" to a distinct rhythmic change in the accompaniment of a dotted eighth-sixteenth note pattern, page 45, mea­ sure 2. People begin activity downstage, moving with the rhythm of the accompaniment. The men sing a trio, page

45, rehearsal 65. Everyone except the four Alaskans and

Begbick, have left the stage at the end of the trio, page

46, rehearsal 66. Jenny and the six girls enter, page

46, measure 7. They enter from stage right on the runway in a chorus line fashion, creating a strong theatrical effect. The girls all sing from a stationary position to Jenny's song, page^48, measure 13. Jenny moves down­ stage right of center while the girls remain on the runway,

Begbick and the four Alaskans on the revolve. This is a sensuous number that can be enhanced with the girls per­ forming slow choreographed movement to the rhythmic pulse of the music. The lighting is full on Jenny, but dim on the activity behind her.

A musical cut is made beginning page 51, measure 4 to page 61, measure 1. This is an artistic decision arriv­ ed from the fact that all that is sung through these ten pages has been introduced and stated before. Jenny's last line of "And there's not one thing that I refuse to do," page 51, measure 3, seques smoothly to the beginning of the song, "I've learned in my trade when you meet a man for the first time," page 61. (Refer to Appendix A, Example 48

No. 21, p. 88-) If the chord at measure 4, page 51, is read as , and the first measure of page 61 as F#^ Dimin­ ished, the movement is that of a step from recitative to aria.

Act I, Scene 6

Jim and Jenny sing of their growing romance to the end of the scene, page 63. Jim joins Jenny downstage dur­ ing this singing. The staging is exaggerated romantically, making it look like two, young, innocent lovers meeting for the first time. The girls and men behind alienate this idea by posing and posturing in a vulgar manner. The pictures on the screens show scenes from burlesque shows and scenes typically found on love post cards (a man and woman in a boat on a lake with the moon in full view).

The idea is to establish a constant contradiction. Weill uses a solo saxophone to play a predominately dotted eighth-sixteenth note rhythm over a guitar obligato helping to capture the tonal sensuality of the number while adding characterization and color to the scene. Jim and Jenny exit hand in hand as the people behind them freeze in place.

Act I, Scene 7

Scene 7 deals with developing economic crisis in

Mahagonny. The music is made up of pure recitative, arioso, and operatic ensemble, in which even the spoken lines have an orchestral accompaniment. People start to remove and replace props as seen on Floorplan 4 in 49

Appendix B. The platform is rolled away and replaced with a pool table. The revolve is moved counterclockwise four feet while a bar and piano are set on and around the re­ volve. Tables and chairs are brought in and placed down­ stage left and right. The actors and actresses immediately become a part of the set, assuming various vignettes of activity that move with the Allegro Furioso tempo, page

64. The overhead projection screens show graphs of various rates of crime and financial indexes of decline.

The placement of Fatty, Moses, and Begbick at the farthest downstage table is necessary for musical rather than theatrical reasons. They have spoken dialogue over rapid underscoring and critical singing entrances as a trio through the entire scene. They need to "cheat out" to the conductor for rhythmical accuracy and comfortable vocal delivery. The singing is some of the most dramatic yet encountered in the opera. The movement of the people around them makes up for the stationary position of the trio. The effect from page 64 to the Poco Meno Mosso on page 6 9 is the constant exiting and entering of groups of people. The vignettes consist of people beating each other up, a pickpocket, seen earlier in Scene 3, men en­ gaged in barroom activity, and protest signs carried on and off by various people. Flashes of strobe-type lighting are seen on the projection screens. The lighting is able to speed up or slow down with the music, helping to ' 50 amplify the insistant driving and urgency of the music and movement of the people.

Begbick sings a lyrical solo passage on pages 69 and 70. She separates from Fatty and Moses as though thinking to herself. This tempo and mood change suggest a slowing of all movement. The slide projections depict ugliness against the somberness of the vocal line. More importantly, they depict pictures of things yet to take place: Hiroshima after the bomb, London after the bombing, rioting in front of banks during the Depression, etc.

This helps bring out the didactic style Brecht strived for, informing the audience while at the same time arousing their emotions.

Movement picks up on page 71, measure 4, as the a tempo begins under Begbick's spoken dialogue. The trio continues to play the scene around the downstage table till the Meno Mosso of page 77, measure 1. Fatty and Moses sing a duet accompanied with lightly scored orchestration.

They begin to engage themselves with the various vignettes around them, moving gradually from table to table. Beg­ bick again assumes a position of authority climbing onto the pool table. She delivers her last spoken dialogue and her singing on pages 7 8 and 7 9 in an almost "Wagnerian" style. The projection of a spiderweb is seen on the far­ thest upstage screen, gradually moving to the farthest downstage screen. The web arrives greatly amplified in 51 size on the final chord, page 79, measure 15. There is an immediate blackout as the projection for Scene 8 is shown.

Act I, Scene 8

Scene 8 opens with 13 measures of orchestral Allegro

Vivace. The stage shifts back to the Mahagonny wharf dur­ ing this time. (Refer to Appendix B, Floorplan 3, p. 98.)

The same wharf scene as Scene 5 is seen with several of the same vignettes, reinforcing the continuity of the opera.

Jim enters from the runway with Jack, Bill, and Joe, moving to the downstage center of the revolve as the other three stop on the platform. This separates and alienates the trio from Jim, who is becoming more discontent with life in Mahagonny. The trio is together for their a cappel- la singing on page 82. Alienation is demonstrated when spoken dialogue interrupts the singing on page 82, measure

5. This is dialogue inserted on purpose to break through the song to make a didactic statement, in this instance, that something is wrong with Mahagonny. (Refer to Appendix

A, Example No. 22, p. 89.) All activity is frozen around them, pages 82 through 88, as lights are pulled down tight on the four Alaskans. There is a complete blackout while the follow spot remains on Jim at the beginning of his area, page 83, measure 5. The stark lighting effect gives a visual look of complete alienation from the city. Lights come up on the trio as they sing with Jim, page 85, measure 52

6. They remain in this position until the tag instrumental ending on page 88, measure 5. The trio move to Jim and walk him back up the runway as the lights fade to blackout.

Weill twice uses a gestus rhythmic effect of SI JTJ J77) to make an expressive idea. This rhythmic idea is seen in

Jim's aria, page 84, measure 8, and again in the tag end­ ing, page 88, measure 5 as a loss of belief in the system of Mahagonny. The staging is stationary at these moments.

Jim reacts facially the same way as each rhythm occurs.

Act I, Scene 9

Scene 9 depicts life in Mahagonny, a most lethargic situation. The men sit around smoking and drinking while a pianist onstage plays an ornamented rendition of The

Maiden's Prayer, by Theckla Badarzewska, a Polish born composer. Badarzewska wrote it as a girl of eighteen try­ ing to express her own feelings of Poland. It became pop­ ular and was subsequently published in four other countries including Germany. It requires an accomplished pianist, who must execute several difficult passages. (Refer to

Appendix A, Example 23, p. 89.) The piano plays prominent­ ly in the first part of the scene as it controls the mood and activity around it. The piano is placed upstage of the revolve. (Refer to Appendix B, Floorplan 4, p. 99.)

This position allows the audience to absorb the whole ef­ fect.

Jim sings a ballad around the piano which turns out to be an operatta-like variation upon The Maiden's Prayer, 53 page 91, measure 7. He is on the highest part of the re­ volve projecting well above the crowd. People are scatter­ ed around the stage area showing contradictory images of every kind. Women come across the stage in a polite manner, then stop and strike a risque pose- Men stretch and then blow their noses. A constant demonstration of beauty a- gainst ugliness. This scenario is held from pages 90 through 97, measure 2. Jim moves downstage left to the edge of the bar at the Piu Mosso (quasi recitative) page

97, measure 3. He addresses Begbick as he looks toward the swinging doors. Begbick comes through the doors, page

98, measure 1. The six girls enact a mimicking dance a- round Jim as he sings of what he did in Alaska, pages 98 through 10 0. The girls come around and try to seduce him, page 100, measure 6. The onstage chorus of basses and tenors begin to sing a counter-melody against the ensemble singing of the Alaskans and the six girls. They serve as a commenting chorus. The counter-melody is the theme from

The Maiden's Prayer. (Refer to Appendix A, Example No. 24, p. 90.) The men are separated from the others. They are positioned downstage right, around the table, chairs and pool table, pages 99 through 118. This establishes musical and visual alienation.

Fatty and Moses join Begbick at the farthest stage right table, page 10 3, measure 6. This positions them together and helps musically since their entrances and lines are the same to the end of the scene. The three 54

Alaskans, Jenny and the girls surround Jim, who is seated on top of the bar, page 101, measure 2. Everyone is now in a stage position to afford the best musical accuracy in a complex ensemble number, pages 98 through 118.

Jim draws a knife, page 100, measure 5. At this point, little fights break out among the chorus downstage right. Jim remains stationary throughout until he jumps on the pool table at the Largo, page 117, measure 2.

Weill alienates the ensemble into five independent singing groups: 1. Jim; 2. The Alaskans; 3. Jenny and the six girls; 4. Fatty, Moses, and Begbick; and 5. the male chorus. These five are staged and positioned in sep­ arate groups.

Act I, Scene 10

Scenes 10, 11, and 12 focus on the hurricane, which never reaches Mahagonny. (Refer to Appendix B, Floorplan

5, p.100.) it is represented on the projection screens and in the music. "The principal hurricane music, a swift­ ly marching counterpoint in which the lines keep echoing one another, carries recollections of the opera's prelude and is a vintage example of the Weill instrumental style of this period.

The form musically is ABA. The A sections are homo- phonic (Refer to Appendix A, Example No. 25, p. 90), while

"^Ronald Sanders, The Days Grow Short: The Life and Music of Kurt Weill (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1980), p. 153. 55 the B section is contrapuntal. (Refer to Appendix A,

Example No. 26, p. 91.) It is a very classical style of music writing. The staging is then approached in a grand opera style with the onstage ensemble remaining formal while the chorus behind them performs background activity.

The background chorus uses the runway with frenzied back and forth movement. They perform the changing of the set during this activity. Note that the revolve is positioned so that the highest point is downstage center, creating a storm shelter underneath. Alienation effect is achieved by keeping this criss-cross movement of chorus in front of the singing ensemble, page 120 through 123. Moses, who has been seated with Fatty and Begbick stage left, moves down­ stage right, page 123, measure 8. He is joined by Fatty and Jenny, page 124, measure 1 and 2. This is a brief contrapuntal section and needs a change of position as each character introduces his or her singing line. The characters move back to their original positions at the return of the A section, page 125, measure 8, through page

126, measure 5. Everyone exits in different directions over the last 39 measures of instrumental music. Scraps of debris fly across the stage, some of which get caught in the fence.

Act II, Scene 11

The offstage male chorus acts as a prominent com­ mentary background in Scene 11. They open the scene singing

"Stand bravely Brothers!" Have ye no fear!" "The music here 56

is a close imitation of the chorale sung by the two temple guards in the finale of The Magic Flute— a sequence that, as we have seen, was of great importance both to Weill and to his teacher Busoni, and that Weill had already made 35 use of in his music." The offstage chorus is positioned behind the upstage screen. Begbick and the three Alaskans are standing and sitting along the fence. (Refer to Ap­ pendix B, Floorplan 5, p .100.) Jim and Jenny are position­ ed on the stage left portion of the revolve. The wind from the coming hurricane blows on everyone except Jim and Jenny. Jim is the man against nature and is not affect­ ed by it.

"Alabama Song" reappears on pages 129 and 130 with more sadness and despair. Pictures used when it was first sung by Jenny in Scene 2 are shown on the projection screens. The six girls make a brief appearance on the runway, posing in much the same way they did in Scene 2.

Jim and Jenny are left in focused light as people move back and forth across the downstage floor, page 131, mea­ sure 11. The active movement goes against the Larghetto singing of the male chorus.

Begbick walks into focused light downstage right of the floor area apron, page 133, measure 5, rehearsal 156.

She is immediately surrounded by several people giving the

O C Ronald Sanders, The Days Grow Short: The Life and Music of Kurt Weill (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1980 )", p. 153. effect that she is the spider drawing humans to her web, pages 133 through 139. Jim moves to the edge of the re­ volve, page 133, measure 6. He is joined by another group of people below him. His singing, page 133, measure 6 through page 142, measure 7, is didactic and begins to arouse the people around Begbick. A few move upstage to

Jim at the end of the aria and remain on the floor looking up to him. Jim and Begbick remain separated to create the illusion of the spider (Begbick) and the fly (Jim), pages 142 through 146. The illusion is supported with pictures shown above them on the screens. Jack, Bill, and Joe go to Jim, page 144, measure 2, and begin to sing a homophonic chorus. The singing is abruptly broken with the stage left entrance of Fatty and Moses, page 146, mea­ sure 1. The music is more contrapuntal and the staging becomes active to flow with it. Fatty and Moses move onto the revolve and run against it as it is turned a full 360°.

People come on from all directions, some to Jim, and a few to Begbick. Fatty, Moses, and Begbick move to the revolve and encircle Jim, page 149, measure 10. Jim breaks away from everyone, page 151, measure 5, and climbs part­ way onto the downstage right telephone pole. He sings what is literally the theme of the opera, "... it re­ minds us again of how the world is, that you're either going to kick or be kicked, and it might as well be the former. This is another, indeed, it is one of the most outstanding of the many cases in which Weill, satisfied 58 that the text is jarring enough, has ironically set it 3 6 to the most melodious of tunes . . . . "

He is joined by the solo ensemble as they sing the melody in unison, page 152, measure 14, to the blackout, page 154, measure 5- The movement is in groups that march in step to various assigned places and positions over the entire stage. Everyone freezes in place and watches the. approaching hurricane on the projection screens.

Act II, Scene 12

Act II opens with the men and girls of Mahagonny slowly drifting back on stage. This is done in groups as they whisper and murmur among themselves. They watch the approaching hurricane as it moves from the farthest upstage left projection screen to the downstage left projection screen, pages 156 through 159. All the people are on stage by page 159, measure 3. They end up in the same position as the end of Act I to further reinforce the idea of con­ tinuity between acts. All turn abruptly and face the au­ dience at the snare drum cue, page 159, measure 11. The hurricane gradually fades out on the last screen. The cho­ rus sings a beautiful ensemble number set to guitar ac­ companiment to the end of the scene, pages 160 through

162.

Ronald Sanders, The Days Grow Short; The Life and Music of Kurt Weill (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1980), p. 154. Act II, Scene 13

Scene 13 is one of a succession of scenes showing the men of Mahagonny engaged in even more liberated plea­ sures. On the projection screen is seen a sign reading

"Rejoicing." The men come downstage left, page 163, mea­ sure 7, and sing a chorus number that names the four pleasures: eating, loving, fighting, and drinking. They strike poses symbolic of what they are singing. The men move upstage, page 165, measure 4, and begin several vig­ nettes of bar activity with the girls. Jack is focused on as the Valse Lento begins, page 166, measure 1. He is sitting at the downstage right center table between two musicians playing a zither and bandoneon, an Argentine variety of accordion with buttons on each side. Jack is sick from eating too much and the others are drunk from drinking too much. The need is to exaggerate the two plea­ sures to the point of comic strip style.

Weill has scored the music to reinforce these plea­ sures. It sounds as though the two musicians are playing wrong notes* mainly due to the chromatic non-harmonic tones, slow tempo, and use of rubato by the musicians and singers.

(Refer to Appendix A, Example No. 27, p. 91.) The music is taking issue here, the staging is then more stationary with a few people moving slowly behind them. Jack falls forward, dead, from eating too much, page 168, measure 24.

The men-gather around him in a concert formation and finish 60 the scene with a choral number facing full out, pages 169 through 170.

Act II, Scene 14

Scene 13 seques directly to 14 as the men sing from the stationary position, page 171, measure 5. They carry

Jack off, page 171, measure 7, and gradually move stage left to the swinging doors, ending in a straight line, page 172, measure 10. The word "Loving" is seen on the projection screen at the Moderato Assai, page 172, measure

11. The men begin dancing a slow two-step among themselves.

This movement is played in a dance band style from the orchestra pit. (Refer to Appendix A, Example No. 28, p. 92.)

Begbick sings from behind the swinging doors, page

173, measure 14. The men sing a "Mandalay" theme, page

174, measure 12. "It is a slow fox-trot, sung to a steady, jazzy beat played by a small ensemble, that in places has very much the feeling of a tango, though technically is not one: this is a classic Weillian tango situation, but 3 7 the music is not at all a conventional song." They begin to dance once again, in fox-trot style as they sing.

Moses enters through the swinging doors and stands in front to address the men,pages 176, measure 7 through

177, measure 8. Begbick comes out and flirts with the men,

3 7 Ronald Sanders, The Days Grow Short: The Life and Music of Kurt Weill (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1980), p. 154. 61 gradually working her way to a sitting position on top of the bar, page 177, measure 11. The men come up in groups and surround her, page 178, measure 3. Pictures on the overhead screens show images of spiders and webs seen in

Act I, Scene 1. Begbick again displays her superiority in this stage position. The men begin to dance again, pages

179, measure 6, through 181, measure 1. The men freeze as Moses sings, page 181, measure 2. They move to their

Scene 13 opening positions as the music returns to the same gestic rhythm and melody, pages 182, measure 14, through

185, measure 1.

The projection screens show the word "Fighting" and assorted pictures of boxing matches.

Act II, Scene 15

Scene 15 is a direct segue from Scene 14, opening with a fast, cut-time, march tempo. The men move upstage to the revolve and remove the bar. Four of them position themselves in a square on the revolve holding a rope, creat­ ing the illusion of a boxing ring, page 185, measure 1 through 20. Others gather around to watdh, acting as spec­ tators. Brecht uses this boxing match to show ". . . a critical but dispassionate audience, which would regard the actor in the same wide-awake spirit as it judged a 3 8 sporting event."

O O John Willett, The Theatre of Bertolt Brecht (New York: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1968), p. 144. 62

Joe, Jim, and Bill enter on the runway and move to the downstage right table. They sing from this position while Fatty sings from the farthest stage left table. Peo­ ple are scattered around them upstage right and left, coun­ terpointing the singing with a mimed fight scenario, pages

186, measure 1 through 194, measure 21. Several people begin vignettes behind Jim and Joe as they sing a duet, page 195, measure 1. These vignettes are done on the run­ way and pool table, showing gestures symbolic of the sing­ ing (freezing weather and cutting trees in Alaska). The fight begins to formulate at the tempo change, page 196, measure 13. Moses and Joe enter the ring to their respec­ tive corners, page 198, measure 9, rehearsal 66. The fight begins, page 199, measure 1, through page 202, measure 14.

The underscoring is very fast and percussive. The entire fight is done in slow motion that moves against the music.

This controls the fight with less punches and adds more visual alienation. The fight ends when Moses Kills Joe, page 202, measure 3. As Joe is carried off, Jim and Bill, who have been observing, return to the downstage right table and deliver their two spoken lines. The rest of the men move downstage left and introduce the fourth occupa­ tion, assuming the same stage position as the previous occupations, page 203, measure 1. All four occupations, eating, loving, boxing, and drinking are afforded a strong identifiable gestus. 63

Act II, Scene 16

Scene 16 opens with Jim singing from the bar, en­ couraging everyone to drink. The men move to the bar as

Jim, Bill, and Jenny go to the pool table. Moses and Beg- bick remain at the bar. The men sing from the bar, pages

206, measure 1, through 209, measure 6. Begbick interrupts the action with a spoken line, "Time to pay up now, gentle­ men," page 209, measure 7. She is in the same position at the bar as in Scene 14 with the same spider images on the screens.

Jim has begun to realize he cannot pay for all the drinking and whispers to Jenny that they had better leave, page 210, measure 3. All activity stops during this aside.

Jim suggests they all should sail for Alaska, making the pool table into a boat, page 210, measure 11. The singing from the pool table is counterpointed by people seated at the tables, and people standing on the runway. They become the waves and wind, moving and swaying in symbolic motion, pages 212, measure 3 through 219, measure 9.

Weill uses a nineteenth century popular song,

Stormy's the Night, first heard under Jenny's spoken line, page 218, measure 4, highlighting a saxophone on the melody line. Jenny, Jim, and Bill sing a harmonized trio of the tune, page 219, measure 10. The chorus of men turn out to the audience and go through movements that narrate the singing, pages 219, measure 10 through 223, measure 7.

They move downstage left into their "occupation" positions 64 as seen in Scenes 13, 14, and 15, as the same rhythm in these scenes is heard, page 223, measure 8. Moses inter­ rupts the sailing sequence with the spoken line, "Awright, pay up for those drinks!" Jim moves to Moses and Begbick on the revolve and replys, "Oh, its Mahagonny!" This move­ ment breaks the boat scene and returns the scene to

Mahagonny. Begbick and Jim sing from the bar, pages 224, measure 6 through 226, measure 5. Jenny moves to Jim on her first spoken line, page 226. She shows concern for him at first, but when asked by Begbick to help him she replies, "You're kidding! The things they ask us girls to do!" She moves away from Jim to the downstage center of ;he revolve. This illustrates Brecht's theory of man's indifference to another man's fate. The staging needs to show alienation from one man to another. In this case, it is Jenny and Jim.

Jim is put in chains on the pool table as Jenny sings a song from the downstage center revolve, page 225, measure 15. The song is a reflection of support of the previous spoken dialogue. It begins in a "blues" tempo with a characteristic dance rhythm pattern in the accompani­ ment. The song returns melodically to the- one sung by

Jim in the Finale of Act I, page 151, measure 5. Jenny assumes some of the same stage positions used by Jim in the Finale, creating the same gestus along with a strong irony. She climbs part-way up the downstage right tele­ phone pole. The men stand and join Jenny, pages 226 65 through 229, during the second repeat, assuming the same positions as in Act I.

Moses sings from downstage center of the revolve, page 229, joined by the male chorus, page 231, measure 1, as they return to the tables. Jim is walked among the crowd and taken away through the runway, page 232, measure

12. The a cappella singing on pages 233, measure 1 through 235, measure 10, is performed by a small solo en­ semble. A smaller group emphasizes the point more and the a cappella singing is easier to keep in tune. The men exit at the end, page 235, with a complete blackout.

Act III, Scene 17

We hear the soliloquy of Jim the night before his death in Scene 17. It is a strong and forceful musical number containing strange harmonic sounds similar to early

SchOnberg or Berg. The aria is demanding because of a very sustained legato line and a high tessitura. It is

Jim's moment to really sing in the entire opera. Slide projections compensate for less active staging, display­ ing pictures and images of Jim's thoughts in the aria.

Jim is chained to the fence, stage left, on the revolve.

He is allowed enough freedom of movement to change body positions and make minimal hand and arm gestures, page 236 through page 241. 66

Act III, Scene 18

Scene 18 shows the trial of Jim, leading to his eventual condemnation to death. The pool table is replaced by a spectator's gallery. (Refer to Appendix B, Floorplan

6, p. 101-) The revolve is turned counterclockwise so the highest portion is upstage, where the judge's bench is placed. The entire revolve is turned into a courtroom.

The chorus sits in the gallery, acting as though they are watching a sporting event.

The scene opens with Begbick seated at the judge's bench, Trinity Moses standing in front of the bench, Toby

Higgins on the witness stand, and Fatty sitting stage left of Begbick on the bench, page 242, measure 1. Begbick is the judge, and Moses, the prosecuting attorney. It is important to allow visual contact between Toby and Begbick so the audience can see the bribe taking place between them during the singing of Moses, pages 244, measure 3 through

245, measure 22. Pictures of the corpse of Joe appear on the projection screens as the chorus sings "Dead men don't tell no tales," page 247, measure 2. Toby joins the spec­ tator's gallery, page 237, measure 10.

Jim is brought in by Bill from the runway, page 248, measure 1, moving into the witness stand as Bill stands right of him on the revolve. Bill goes to the spectator's gallery at the moment of denial, page 251, measure 11.

This visually alienates him 'from Jim. 67

Moses sings from the judge's bench, pages 251, mea­ sure 14, through 252, measure 11. The music stops, page

253, measure 13, as Moses, Begbick, and Fatty look meaning­ fully at each other. This is done for epic drama effect.

The look is exaggerated, again to the point of comic strip.

Begbick, Fatty, and Moses sing from the judge's bench, pages 253, measure 22 through 257, measure 20. The chorus counterpoints the singing with constant activity. A vendor sells peanuts, men play cards at the downstage right table, people watch the courtroom scene while others read or look somewhere else. Begbick sings of Jim seducing a girl named

Jenny Smith, page 254, measures 6 through 20. A seduction scene takes place on the downstage left floor during the singing, visually taking issue with the text.

The music shifts from an energized march to a Subito

Piano with less dissonant harmonization, page 259, measure

13 as Bill sings from the downstage center of the revolve.

(Refer to Appendix A, Example No. 29, p. 92.) All activity freezes at this point, as everyone listens to Bill. He sings of Alaska, the freezing winters and pine trees fell­ ed. Symbolic vignette scenes are enacted in the same area as the previous seduction scene.

Moses stands on the judge's bench and sings a coun­ ter-argument, pages 262, measure 17 through 263, measure 9.

Bill supports the argument, moving from.the gallery to

Jim, page 264, measure 2. The chorus visually alienates the scene, half taking issue with Jim and the other half 68 against him, pages 264, measure 18 through 265, measure

11. Moses comes down to the left side of the witness stand and addresses Jim with the main charge, page 266, measure 1.

Bill counters the move by returning to the gallery. The chorus' reaction is strong when Jim replies to Moses that he does not have the money, page 266, measure 22. Musical­ ly, it depicts suspense, and is reinforced visually with a look of suspense.

Fatty, Moses, and Begbick are positioned at the judge's bench, Begbick in the center, when the verdict is about to be delivered, page 2 68, measure 10. They remain in a fixed position, page 268, measure 10 through the end of page 272. The pictures of the three used in Act I,

Scene 1, are shown again to reinforce the characters and what they represent. Everyone leaves except Begbick, Jen­ ny, Fatty, Moses, Bill, and Toby, page 272, measure 15.

The tempo changes abruptly to Andante Non Troppo, page 273, measure 1. The principal characters realize that

Mahagonny is a failure and dream of yet another city,

Benares. The ensemble moves to the apron of the revolve.

Their faces are shown with underneath lighting, giving them a ghostly illumination to match the sound of the music, which has become chromatic and dissonant. (Refer to Appen­ dix A, Example No. 30, p. 93.) They sing facing out, pages

273, measure 1 through 278, measure 1. Pictures of beauti­ ful cities are shown until the tempo change of Subito

Animato, page 27 8, measure 1. They learn that Benares has 69 been destroyed by an earthquake. The projections now show pictures of destroyed cities to the end of the scene, page

281, measure 4. The set remains unchanged as they move into new positions during the blackout. The chorus returns to the spectator's gallery.

Act III, Scene 19

Jim returns with Jenny, Moses, and Bill, page 282.

Jim and Jenny move to the stage right table while Moses and Bill remain on the revolve. Jim and Jenny begin a song titled the "Crane Duet, 11 page 283, measure 6--a love song between the two. "The piece is a purely polyphonic inven­ tion; it grows from a simple composition for three voices, in which two of the voices are still paired in runs of thirds, into free counterpoint and reaches with the climax

'Thus they are lovers . . . Canonlike treatment, 'open work,' beautiful effects of harmony and modulation testify to Weill's great craftmanship. But here, too, the effects never become an end in themselves, but are always placed 3 9 in the service of the lyric situation."' Weill uses his expressive instruments to underline the sentimentality of the duet (saxophone and guitar). The two-sided character of Jenny is shown during the singing. They sing the duet sweetly and with sentiment while pictures of prostitutes are seen above them. They refer to the two cranes flying

■3 q H. H. Stuckenschmidt, "City of Nets," Insert notes to Mahagonny Columbia recording K3L-243, p. 12. 70

about in great circles, page 283, measure 14. The pictures

show vultures and various birds of prey attaaking their

victims, as Jenny will turn and eventually denounce Jim.

Jim and Jenny remain seated throughout the duet, pages

283, measure 6 through 289, measure 6. Jim moves back

to Moses and Bill, page 290, measure 10. Moses and Bill

take Jim to his chair on the revolve, page 290, measures

15 through 20. The men come downstage and line up as they

did in the occupation scenes, Scenes 13, 14, and 15. Jim

stands in front of his chair and sings a sustained legato

aria, joined by the men and girls, page 292, measure 1,

to the end of the scene, page 294. The entire picture

is a concert formation with men downstage front, women in

the gallery, and Jim, Moses, and Bill around the chair

on the revolve. Moses and Bill place a metal cap over

Jim's head, preparing him for death by electrocution.

The scene seques into Scene 20, page 295, as all

lights go to bright and Jim slumps in the chair. The lights

blackout through the Andante Sostenuto, page 295, measures

1 through 4, as Jim is carried away.

Act III, Scene 20

The male chorus moves back to the spectator's gallery during the Andante Sostenuto, page 295, measures 1 through

4. Fatty, toby, and Bill come downstage right to the apron of the stage.

The scene represents "God coming to Mahagonny," in which Trinity Moses assumes the part of God. The pictures 71

on the screens show images of God, Jesus, various biblical

symbols, as well as those of Satan and anti-Christ images.

Moses sings from the witness stand. Lighting illuminates

him with a "halo" effect, page 296, measure 5. Jenny sings

from Jim's chair, page 296, measure 13. Pictures on the

screens represent what they are singing. It is time to

stop putting texture into the scene. The staging is very

formal and unaffected, allowing the text to be absorbed by

the audience. Weill changes the accompaniment texture,

intensifying expression, especially when Fatty, Toby, and

Bill repeat the phrase, "One morning when the sky was gray."

(Refer to Appendix A, Example No. 31, 32, and 33, pp. 93 and 94.) The trio assumes an upstage position and gradual­

ly works downstage each time they repeat the phrase. Their gestures increasingly become larger as they work downstage, page 295 to the end of the scene, page 306.

Act III, Scene 21

Scene 21 shows the destruction of Mahagonny. The staging is formalized as groups of people move in and out, assuming different poses and positions of protest. Fatty,

Moses, and Begbick sing from the apron of the revolve, page

307, measure 5. Weill uses a very dramatic rhythm to under­ score the text throughout the scene.

Slide projections of cities in flames are seen above.

Pictures of the truck used in Act I, Scene 1 are shown in varying stages of decay. The first group of men (basses) come downstage left of the trio and sing, page 308, measure 72

6. The second group of men (tenors) move downstage right of the trio, page 309, measure 5. Both groups carry signs and placards protesting society and the economy. The groups even oppose each other, shaking fists, etc. Jenny and the girls return to their Act I, Scene 2 positions and for the third time sing, "Oh Moon of Alabama," page 313, mea­ sure 1. They hold various personal items of Jim's: a hat, shirt, boots, knife, etc. Pictures of Jim as he sang in

Act I, Scene 8, are shown on the projection screens. The staging is very presentational with no attempt at reality.

Men carry Jim's coffin in on the runway and place it in the center of the revolve, page 315, measure 5. They return to the spectator's gallery and sing, page 316, measure 5.

Moses moves to the witness stand, page 317, measure 3, while a group of men stand stage left of him on the revolve.

Begbick moves downstage right with another group, page

318, measure 4, while Fatty moves downstage left with a fourth group, page 321, measure 3. There are four distinct groups onstage, each displaying different signs of protest.

All of the groups come together at the Piu Largo, page

321, measure 2. People behind them remove all props, wheel­ ing the spectator's gallery offstage as Mahagonny is de­ stroyed. Pictures from above show destroyed buildings and cities in flames and decay. A complete blackout on the final chord signifies the end of the opera, page 322, measure 3. CHAPTER VII

CONCLUSION

The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny provides

the reader with a close view of epic opera according to

Kurt Weill and Berthold Brecht. It is an innovative work

withits showing of independent works of art as part of a

theatrical performance, Weill's gestic rhythm patterns,

and Brecht's concept of the alienation of V-effect.

"Theodore W. Adorno, eminent young Marxist theoretician,

professor of philosophy, future director of the Frankfurt

Institute for Social Research, and himself a composer and

music critic, had come to regard the Brecht-Weill works as

a kind of mirror of the age, a truly contemporary art of

the utmost significance; and Mahagonny was, in his view. 40 the most significant of them all."

Most opera seen in the United States today is what

Brecht would label "Culinary." "Perhaps Mahagonny is as

culinary as ever - just as culinary as an opera ought to

be - but one of its functions is to change society; it

brings the culinary principle under discussion, it attacks

the society that needs operas of such a sort; it still

40 Ronald Sanders, The Days Grow Short: The Life and Music of Kurt Weill (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1980), p. 156. 74 perches happily on the old bough, perhaps, but at least it has started (out of absent-mindedness or bad conscience) to saw it through . . . .And here you have the effect of 41 the innovations and the song they sing." It attacks the society that needs culinary entertainment. It is a didactic text and music set to operatic form. This limits the appeal for many American audiences mainly because of a lack of understanding of the piece, and epic opera in general.

The focus of this study has been to examine and de­ termine a staging of the epic opera Mahagonny. It is hoped that the staging and set design will provide a sound basis for production at any one of numerous major universities, including The University of Georgia. In order to produce this opera an institution would need a well-developed vocal and instrumental program— at least nine major singing roles, a chorus of forty, and an orchestra of thirty-five players.

Until recently, Mahagonny has been a rarely perform­ ed work. Berthold Brecht has always been a familiar name in theater and Kurt Weill is experiencing a resurgence of popularity and interest. Yale University is sponsoring a Kurt Weill Conference, November 2-5, 1983, featuring such topics as "Gestic Music: Suiting the Action to the

Word" by Michael Morley and "Weill's and Brecht's Operatic

Reform by John Rockwell. The Metropolitan Opera last

^ J o h n Willett, The Theatre of Bertolt Brecht (New York: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1968), p. 41. 75 performed the opera during their 1981 season and will again perform it for the 1983-84 season.

One of the major obstacles to production would be financial backing. At The University of Georgia, for exam­ ple, the head of the Department of Drama, Dr. August Staub, estimates that approximately $7,000 would be needed in addition to ticket sales. Such funding for a University of Georgia production would have to come through various governmental and music organizations such as The National

Endowment for the Arts, Georgia Council for the Humanities,

The Georgia Foundation, and the Georgia Federation of Music.

Plans are being discussed for a 1985-86 joint production between The University of Georgia School of Music and De­ partment of Drama, pending adequate funding.

The opera presents prodigious training for technical and performing staff, allowing for imaginative design and excellent experience in singing and acting style. Excerpt­ ed scenes would be appealing to use in opera labs, and presentations at specific events, i.e., the Southeastern

Composer's League Forum, National Opera Association or

Central Opera Service Convention. APPENDIX A: MUSICAL EXAMPLES i

Example Mo. 1 Example No. 2

INTRODUCTION

(The MZR erne domataga and aing, be fora tka^travalar)

f'

< 1 *vj Example No. 3 Example No. ^

Introduction fib HO put th ti r hate bask on and ting) . (Jm WO!

Bot - teas up friends! ■11 got ______Have

do I chor

(Traveler elottt)

The ?feN

drunk. Cause you need it when you see A guy like Joe get sunk

Vidov Begbick, set 'ev L ? up for ell the guys! ^ S i mm

oo Example Mo. 5 Example No. 6

Joe (atwding on a chair) f S . ______» B l

tut elt-y »en don't Rap-id-!y we die; the cit ies live This is the place, tents! The natch of the ft liii j> i pi-r^t^— »—P—, Lpr rr- T LJ ~ T F R - PP 6p _£--p-- i,,, f— — . .1 . r >1 1 1 1* -1 M— f--

Fatty

Foufht Then the fin till

are dead.but

one or the other is K. O.'d And oe the card: it's Trin 0 ii-iiii »ij »

off to Ne-ha-fon-nyl

Just yesterday they a-bout you there, asked

tip A - |^^ ^ ^ - =g===! Example No. 7 Example No. 8

will cone through. And all pals won't Then if your wits are a-tout you to-night. You’ll bet your _ash on A-

' f e t e * ’ g f H * < y . i i V - g g s t y ---- - 1' t — U --- L^n— j ^ Then If your wits are a - bout you, You'll bet all your cash __ on big A- -te— >i..» — r ---f - q r i f -r-- ' ‘ Then if your wits are a < bout you to- night. You'll bet your :ash on A- > > --^ ^ > > > > f - H r "i " T 1 ■" . IS h j t _ ___ IfcA- jig--- b f 1 — H * r n You batter pot your son - ay !'■ counting es- k = J - i

m o lto rit- J-11,1

JO? goes to B ILL Joe, you know how such >* • las-ka-Volf Joel Poco teirato fJ. net -las • ka • Volf Joel

you I • Us-U-Volf Jo#l (J-J. J-ne)molto rit. (J-J. J-ne)molto

Bin rmj-ua bTalns o-ver brawn in a fight, tad speed o-ver strength in But when cash

{*• Example No. 9

(J(Travtltr . 100) c Io b m b . TSs> "EX curie forvard again an d Gina) ED T«». f

First, don't for-get to rtuffyour

v^~ ^ &

P'T T ~ 1 &=■--■ - ‘ 1 fa e t f l J See - W , comes the low- in j ■ ateh. ■i— fi M ..B- »— - f i I F■. f .=ffav l B g 1

ig'Lifij'=¥anriti'iii» tr jr .' -.. .I . . ’i| r " - 1 i- o f— ■ - P ^ i - . m -

Third, pot tho boxer* thru their pa - c m . p -piP*-t t 'TlPTp

c i

Example No. 10

oa-der th«t robber tree. By the world

vkldi we'll eaJl nt There is bo peeee on eerth end

And there If noth li»t

Still \y Mldiai Ma * la

0.B.MS1 00 ro Example Ho. 11 Example No. 12

Fatty / fatty fflaf Nows enter tP 1 GB (Vhiu «*e vett Nenggowny earner t-t net wp c m n*»/ 1 *-- : ■ = = V far free the cares of the world ■o» n f" ' r ------r— 1 still we'n on - ly baildint Ma -hs-fen - try be - eons* the A H U y f G9 The »ois-y 1 A,. \ = i. I 1 ■■! ^ V ,*» *■ *i ’»■— f h " ■**-»— m » — i.fy-r-M~-tsrr~ — j < v * w* w w |e: V V V V Uv* v » Still ww'n on - If baildint Me - ha-fon - ujr be - cause the Votes f . ■« in. = 1 • •- « r Still we'n an • ly baildlny Ms - ha-ton - By be • cause the

** pared with told bride Ha-ha -tea- ay. j6— I— t, .*— - g- 0 ...*\.. , -1-1------— 1— r- « £ * "■ " diesel daft stop Jost yee-ter* *^tW. a treinj oeerbr. n — ------„ — ------r~- « 1— 3 1 1 A _ ■ 'T '-~¥ -F'-^F""v:w" — arm- T w : --- rt* r v v> w w I#??-?.' ■ * # v? v? \5 v? X3 .1------| j*~ "' _ e r ^ r~r* -- :— z—uz.—~y.^— ■■■ -■■■-. - 1 n 9 r p r tr r r nmL (’r ' -A------I ,-) :—

la these troebled tines, 70a en Had In world is to rot • tea. Then Is ae peace ea earth m ►daytheyashed ••beat jrao then. world it so rot - Then is as peace wo eerth [-<■--- - f. I, ■

world is oo rot - tec. Then Is ao peace as earth i £ 1 ------r •» - «ry elt - - y all-lions loofclntfor • hotter life, bis* a*n 0 Vs ^ o • ~l‘ W ' i Ei a^ip 1 ' W ~a ' ^ \ f M? v| V J \ ? V? vj

0 0 u> Example No. 13

tell

tell t m w*

00 Example No. 1^ Example No. 1

cr coae! Put that in your Think of how the sky turns beaudful *t twilight.

Think of how thesky turns beautiful at twi-light, and think___what joy it Joe

Think of how the sky turns beautiful at twi-ifght.

pipe and try to saoke It! Stuff it up your pipe

• Jrn (tpokenj But there's something wrong!

’ ? ~ ? rr I * is just to sit end talk to friends. Think how you lore the peace and — A*. — iT-if ; j ! is just to sic and talk to friends. o Think how YOU lore the oesce and ‘rjT- k. % s v, h h t-- i - i ; ii t i ^ ti *>-, just to sit and talk to friends. Think A *3 o how you love the peace and

e> > ~ - --- j ~ | -. --- — = j

Jim But there’s somethin?

qui And the w*r»th of sheer con tent - ment. * * * li. *<" - ■ — ii" fr ■ £rb - r i Bin ** young sterl Prey to - eight, prey to - night won't be And the warath of sheer con tent - aent. ~H \£T■ * tf*. Jm j i y r . 1» .. M t l*£S!!S*tfe v *Ejpi Lu I'?' yt F— '3 11 Example No. 16 Example No. 17

K u M W e i l l Allegro giostn l.'.ieel

suf-fer, but do what be fotlt like. Th*t feet is our psld BUj-ftt

TfZvT♦ * ♦ a*

Gin tnd vhis - try, ) w | girb«ndyoun| boyi end every /C~% ^ 7 ^ * >» ».!•?%

week here n trn d s y i working- And tke b l| tarrleenei don't trt» el* °JJ^ r t! , r i l l be______BUjfron _

u i_ ) I,

In-itead, ell perfectlj relaxod. war sen will «ke In rocking Example No. 18 Example No. 19

Modenlo assai iJ • — i Jtnnf

i ■ 1 ” * Oh ihM m Ow way ta tha w it w%1w*hy b r .

------j ... — i------U *! : * =T i ! =- -

rn* ' ^ " ^ t ^ |ift r J *

—* ------*— A------♦ ♦ 3 3 3 i i ?

. . . ; u « ------%» Far «r Mat (1*1 lb w»l . - 6 Girls 1} ■«'■' " t q ■ ■ - " ’f— — ^ — i------“I k 1* ■ | u — L— » 1 1**'*------*— Oh W l atk why, ah I n '! « k why ^ T t T T^TFfWrrfT¥ i f ”^ i f j i -^T

r 5 r r ^ r r

. b

I I«f1 jm

00 -vj Example No • 20 Example No. 21

Jenny Saith 0k-Ia-ho«-a. 1 gee Here about tv© Booths ago.

jBegbiefc ftpa i n ) Perhaps Jm working down In And therms thing that 1 re-fuse to do. -

picture of rirU) Cmtlaco, m rr n cxrrlot 1» Ui ktnt tfct plcnrt of hii m. low V-— ■— i =*• ~~ ^ ______

• nit tpwch It givtn to NOSES In tlK htlloipbo. learned In ay trade when you

for the first tiae you mist ask Ma Jost how he likes things. ■Example No. 22 Example No. 23

Think of how the iky turns beautiful it twilight and think

Thitk the sky turns beautiful it twi-light, »nd think___whit joy it

Think of how the sky turns beautiful it twi-lifht.

- Jfm (spcton) but there's something wrong!

is just to sit and talk to friends. Think bow you love the peace and

is just to sit and talk to friends. Think how too lore the Peace and

is just to sit and talk to friends. Think how you love the peace and

J im But there's something

tad the warath of sheer eon - tent - aent.

Bui A A tad the warath of sheer eon tent - eeht. A ♦ A

tad the warath of sheer eon tent -«ent.

00 90

Ac Ac

Cvi

Q) ■A iH P

£ a Example N o. 26 •Example Ncu 21

Valse lento (J. Ji HO

build m a shal-tertokcapw aafel

build m a thal 01

dig n a cal-lar that Jack f 6 Girls ,p

I've eat-en two calves And head

cal - lar that can bid*

cal erl-Iar that can hide m .

al no* I nill eat one aore calf. Hot e-noughby half!

bull da* a shel - tar fixample No. 28 Example No. 29

r ■r =f - t y r e . Ke'U n e v e r 1< t hin go to ] a i 1; he*? .)i« - my Hac - In - y re . Wc'tl n c v -e r ? r .fWrP fr f f f !r p r <5 •' r t j r p H H i fM#4i N i l

9 :- — tr «

tyre. Ji*-ay Hac - Intyre, the i*r

Traveler opens,opens. The warduordu o r d cm the backdrop ie nou "LOVINGAt"LOVING*. AtAton right, in. front . o.. f theTraveler Mandalay Brothel, the HEM ere lined 1 9 . JTH, BILL, and JOE cane in and join the line. Imediatcly, erotic pictures are projected on a screen, At the sane tine, BEGBICK’s voice to heard. Ho vonen are visible in this scene.

Moderate assai Bill

J i s , !*■ do - ing this for__ {emit stage band*)

lusoerjaek froa A - las ka!

tj. k Example No. 30 Example No. 31 Andante non troppo Jenny Aml.inte sostennto

Fatty -fL ffiD One ■omint when the sky was fray f e e lint o u t whiskey. God co m to Ha - ha - Tobby Begbick

One ■ornlnf when the sky was fray. feellnt our whiskey, God case to Ka-ha- There b m bey ta diakewfib

One oorninf when the sky was fray, feellnf our whiskey, God ca*c to Ma-ha-

Jenny frith deep filing)

-gon - nyl God to Ha-ha Feel-inf out

Oh. God case to Ma - ha - gon - nyl Feel-inf our

- nyl God ci to Ha-ha Feel-inf our Example No. 32 Example No. 33

(THEY behave as though they heard nothing)

Yes! answered the people of Ha - hs - gon-ny! Yesl answered the peop-le of Ma • ha-gon-nyl

*(MOSES, who plays the rBle of Cod, separates himself from the group, acmes downstage, and fijfijp oooers hie face with his hat.)

One bo -aini when the sky was fray, feel-inf our whiskey. Godcaweto e Borran* when the sky was gTay feel-ing out whis - key Tohbt . . ___ Tobbt

oornlng when the sky was gray. One aorning when the sky was gray, feel-ing our whis - key,

whiskey. Codea»eto One Boroing when the sky was gray. Feel-ing our One aoming when the sky was gray, feel-ing our whis - key Water

07462468 i-gonnyt God ease to Ma - ha-gonnyJ Feeling our God case to

God Ma - ha-gonnyl God eane to Ha-ha-gonnyl Feeling our

Ma - ha-gonnyl God caoe to lla-ha-gonnyl Sod to Ito-ha-gon-ny! God case to Ma-ha-gon-nyl Feel-lng our whiskey.

VO .4^ APPENDIX B : FLOORPLANS 96 91

cTLOOBPld^

© @ — w o a

\

99

—/vf\OC -> \00

o

Q«=> * '9 ^

,

© w o a

x < y - c i APPENDIX C: SET DESIGN

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bentley, Eric. The Brecht Commentaries 1943-1980. New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1981. 320 p.

Brecht, Berthold. The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahaqonny. Translated by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman. Boston, Massachusetts: David R. Godine, Publisher, 1976. 107 p.

Esslin, Martin. Brecht: The Man and His Work. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1971. 379 p.

Kowalke, Kim. Kurt Weill in Europe. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International, 1979. 589 p.

Lenya, Lotte. "Lotte Lenya Remembers Mahagonny," in Mahaqonny. Hamburg, Germany: Columbia Records, 1956. Insert notes to Mahagonny Columbia recording K3L-243.

Ligotti, Albert. Associate Professor of Music, The Uni­ versity of Georgia. Personal consultations, August- September, 1982.

Massey, Don. Assistant Professor of Drama, The University of Georgia. Personal consultations, August-September, 1982.

Morley, Michael. Brecht: A Study. Totawa, New Jersey: Rowman and Little field, 1977. 135 p.

Needle, Jan and Peter Thomson. Brecht. Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press, 1981. 235 p.

Sanders, Ronald. The Days Grow Short: The Life and Music of Kurt Weill. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1980. 469 p.

Smith, Patrick J. "Protest or Classic?", Opera News, Vol. 45 , (April 1981). p. 7-11.

Staub, Dr. August. Head of the Department of Drama and Professor of Drama, The University of Georgia. Per­ sonal consultations, August-September, 1982.

104 105

Stuckenschmidt, H. H. "City of Nets," in Mahaqonny. Hamburg, Germany: Columbia Records, 1956. Insert notes to Mahagonny Columbia recording K3L-243.

.Vfllker, Klaus. Brecht: A Biography. Translated by John Nowell. New York: The Seaburg Press, 1978. 412 p.

Weill, Kurt. The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahaqonny. Translated by Norbert Gingold and revised by David Drew. New York: Universal Edition, 1969. 327 p.

Weill - Lenya. edited by Henry Marx. New York: Goethe House, 1976. A catalogue containing reminiscenses and other related material by many people. Designed for an exhibit.

Willet, John. The Theatre of Bertolt Brecht. New York: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1968. 243 p.