The Threepenny Opera (Original Off Broadway Cast)

Despite its bowdlerized lyrics (by comparison to the 1970s Eric Bentley translation), this performance deserves a place in any Weill fan's collection. It was groundbreaking by the standards of the 1950s, for its inclusion of the great Lotte Lenya (Mrs. Kurt Weill) herself, and Gerald Price's rendition of "The Ballad of Mack the Knife" inspired Bobby Darin, Satchmo, and a host of others. The "Army Song" is all the more incisive for its appearing in the era of post-Korea and pre-Vietnam, and the cast features Beatrice Arthur and, surprisingly, John Astin, later of "The Addams Family." All in all, this production introduced Brecht & Weill's signature piece to American audiences, and has far more worth than a mere historical note. The cast is young, enthusiastic, and well worth a listen.