The Threepenny Opera (1954 New York Cast) (Blitzstein Adaptation) [Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Cast Recording]

Lotte Lenya, Beatrice Arthur, Charlotte Rae, Marc Blitzstein, Jo Sullivan Loesser, John Astin, Scott Merrill, Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 29, 2000)
• Original Release Date: 1954
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Cast Recording
• Label: Decca Broadway
• ASIN: B00004X09T
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,903 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lotte Lenya and Bea Arthur in Kurt Weill's masterpiece!, November 11, 2003

By 

Byron Kolln (the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Threepenny Opera (1954 New York Cast) (Blitzstein Adaptation) (Audio CD)

THE THREEPENNY OPERA is indeed Weill and Brecht's masterpiece. The darkly humorous, anarchic and gritty musical has influenced many works throughout the ensuing decades (a recent example being URINETOWN). The now-legendary 1954 off-Broadway revival at the Theatre de Lys is still agruably the greatest production of THREEPENNY, which featured new lyrics translated by Marc Blitzstein (JUNO).

Decca Broadway's reissue of the cast album is average, though. Several dropouts and surface hiss are slightly off-putting to the ear.

Lotte Lenya plays the role of the streetwalker Jenny Diver, and her rendition of "Pirate Jenny" is one of the two major highlights from the set. The other highlight is Bea Arthur's portrayal of Lucy Brown; her reading of "Barbara Song" is full of grit and she belts it in grand style.

Jo Sullivan (who would later marry Frank Loesser) gives a sparkling performance as Polly Peachum, joining Bea Arthur for the caustic "Jealousy Duet". Scott Merrill adds his silvery voice to the menacing "Mack the Knife". The cast also features Charlotte Rae and Martin Wolfson.

Also included is a rare recording of Lotte Lenya singing "Mack the Knife", accompanied by Marc Blitzstein at the piano.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally!, August 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Threepenny Opera (1954 New York Cast) (Blitzstein Adaptation) (Audio CD)

At last, the groundbreaking 1954 off-broadway cast recording is available. Bea Arthur and Lotte Lenya give stand-out performances. All-in-all a superb rendition of this stunning score with a very accessible translation by Marc Blitztein. Everyone has their favorite but, for me, this version gives a much more "raw" and "authentic" interpretation, on par with (if not better than) the Lincoln Center production (with Raul Julia as Mack -- which one hopes will also be on CD soon) and certainly more engaging than the Donmar Warehouse version. If you haven't heard this one yet, give it a try.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good despite watered-down lyrics, April 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Threepenny Opera (1954 New York Cast) (Blitzstein Adaptation) (Audio CD)

This is an excellent recording, marred only by the fact that the record company forced Blitzstein to censor a number of the lyrics, including some of the best and brightest ones. If you've seen a stage production of this play, you may be disappointed by the toning-down of the lyrics on this.