As I was having breakfast with the Beloved and his colleague , a dear friend and fellow “shrink”,our conversation naturally shifted from the banalities of life to the State of Man. I am not nearly intelligent enough to keep pace, so I found myself drifting off with thoughts of the dearly loved Three Penny Opera, and in particular the marvelous Pirate Jenny.
Original German poster
Berlin 1928
The Three Penny Opera was inspired by John Gay’s 1728 hit The Beggar’s Opera
The Beggar’s Opera, Act V
Hogarth
1728
The Beggar’s Opera which explores Man’s rather unsavory side provided rich inspiration for the lyricist Bertolt Brecht, who first wrote Pirate Jenny in 1927;perhaps inspired by the London revival of The Beggar’s Opera in the twenties.
With Kurt Weill providing both the music, and the muse, in this case his wife the marvelous Lotte Lenya; Three Penny explores the theme more deeply.
Lotte Lenya photographed by Carl Van Vechten
I love many recordings of ” Seeräeban Jenny”, Nina, Uta, Ella, but one cannot help feeling that Weill’s muse was the finest. This clip from the 1931 film of Three Penny bears that bias out.
This unidentified sketch of our beloved Jenny, captures her spirit in the fashion of George Grosz.
George Grosz was particularly adept at capturing the despair and wretchedness of man. Why his images beguile me as they repulse is perhaps a question best left to an analyst.
Matrose Im Nachtlokal
George Grosz
1925
Grosz certainly captures the lonely despair many have experienced sitting at a bar into the wee hours of the night. Sad painful hopefulness. Jenny must feel this, hence her desire to chop off the heads of her oppressors. Can’t blame the gal.
I first became aware of Brecht/Weill/ThreeePenny through my first partner Douglas. Douglas had marvelous taste and an incredible love for dark art. He adored Three Penny, and he particularly loved the production starring Raul Julia as Macheath. Douglas fancied a physical similarity to Mr. Julia, he was correct in possessing that vanity.
Raul Julia
March 9th 1940
October 24th 1994
In the following clip, The Cannon Song,Julia captures Man’s brutality, I particulary love the “beefstak tartar” refrain, it has always amused me.
Again I turn to Grosz, his famous “Made in Germany” captures the silly pompousness of so many folks, men in particular.
Made in Germany
George Grosz
1920
What actually inspired my thoughts of Jenny and wretchedness, was the always divine Marianne Faithful and her evocative interpretation of “Pirate Jenny”. I have a particular fondness for the line “as the soft heads fall”, chilling revenge.
I would like to include this clip of the Tiger Lillies “Bully Boys” which illustrates what ultimately happens to all those wretched Silly Bully Boys.
In closing I would like to dedicate this post to the aforementioned Douglas, who ultimately found our wretched state too much to bear.
I miss him and wished he could have seen past the ugliness.
God bless you Doug.
Good night.
Babylon Baroque 