Almost a quarter of a century after Calixto Bieito presented his proposal of Bertolt Brecht's classic at the Grec in 2002, the desire to stir political consciences has led to L'òpera de tres rals once again inaugurating the theater festival in its 50th edition. On this occasion, the Galician director Marta Pazos has been in charge of carrying out this historical milestone, with the help of Dani Espasa in musical direction, Mabel Olea in movement, and Marc Rosich in a new Catalan translation.
It is a production ready to demonstrate that, indeed, the miseries of capitalism that Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill portrayed in interwar Berlin are still present in today's society. Leading the proposal is a choral cast captained by Nao Albet in the role of Macheath, alias Mackie the Knife, along with other well-known names from the Catalan scene such as Eduard Farelo (Peachum), Miriam Moukhles (Polly), Marta Bernal (Mrs. Peachum), and Júlia Truyol (Jenny).
L'òpera de tres rals, an opera "for the poor"
This work was written in 1928 in collaboration with Elisabeth Hauptmann. It was baptized with the nickname "opera for the poor," as it was born with the intention of questioning the foundations of bourgeois society. The plot is set in Victorian London's underworld and places us in the war between the thief Mackie the Knife and Mr. Peachum, the capo who commercializes the city's begging. A conflict of gangsters, corrupt police, and prostitutes that Brecht used to launch his Marxist ideology: "What is robbing a bank compared to founding one?" The play became the most-watched theatrical phenomenon in Germany until Nazism banned it in 1933.
Now, in 2026, the Teatre Grec de Barcelona is restaging this classic with a groundbreaking and absolutely rebellious production. From the beginning of the show, actors dressed as doves mingle with the audience to welcome them and anticipate what is about to begin. Shortly after, Marta Bernal dressed as Marta Pazos with a blue wig and colorful clothes, descends the stairs to warm up the audience with a welcome show amidst jokes, laughter, and irony.
Bernal is in charge of welcoming us to the historical moment our city is experiencing: the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Grec, of the 50th anniversary of the Lliure... and of Marta Pazos' 50th birthday! But the show is about to begin and the audience is expectant to see what awaits them during the next three hours of the performance: the emotion is served.
Comedy, music and "rebellious" interpretations
If there is one word that defines The Threepenny Opera, it is the word "rebellious". Why? Because from the very first minute, the tone of the work is already detected: pigeons address the audience, Pazos' alter-ego talks about vedettes and cruising and, then, the actors who appear on stage move as if they were cartoons: clownery mixes with opera and theatrical interpretation to present us with something totally new and different.
Sublime and meticulously crafted, Nao Albet nails his portrayal of Mackie the Knife through a very technical and choreographic performance. The actor imbues the villain with an almost cartoon-like physicality, playing with extravagant movements and a comedic rhythm that breaks with any hint of realism. It's impossible to look away from him.
Alongside Albet is a splendid Miriam Moukhles in the role of Polly, Mackie's wife, an actress who also manages to create a character full of personality, with a very marked choreography and overwhelmed by the passion and love she feels for her partner. A performance full of strength, rebellion, and vitality.
Both actors star in some of the most powerful musical passages of the production. On one hand, Moukhles delights us with an intense, brazen, and groundbreaking musical number when she sings the pirate song. On the other hand, Albet along with Roc Bernadí in the role of policeman Brown perform a hilarious musical number when they tell us an episode of the war. The choreographies, the music, the lyrics, and the comedic timing of the performance make these some of the best scenes in the entire play.
The atmosphere of humor, provocation, and strangeness is felt throughout the entire work with the appearance of the rest of the cast: Júlia Truyol in the role of Jenny moves between seduction, betrayal, and necessity; Marta Bernal as Mrs. Peachum presents a foul-mouthed, direct, and strong mother; Clara Mingueza as Lucy creates one of the most extravagant, crazy, and funny characters of the entire proposal; or Eduard Farelo as Peachum, who presents a vile man, unscrupulous and in constant war with Mackie.
A diluted message
With this text, Bertolt Brecht sought to make a Marxist critique of the bourgeois system and its double standard. The German playwright did not believe that theater was a place of mere illusion or sentimental escapism; he wanted to turn the audience into a forum for ideological and social debate. Through explanatory posters, songs that interrupted the action, and an interpretation that invited the actor to dissociate from his character, Brecht forced the audience to maintain a cold, analytical, and critical gaze.
In Pazos' proposal, we see these explanatory posters and the distanced performance of the characters; but the critical message is somewhat diluted by the form of the proposal. The ideology embodied by Mackie the Knife is hinted at in some musical interventions (few), but above all in the final addition, a moment that feels a bit forced and like an ideological "pamphlet." It is also possible that the ideological force of Brecht's message, which had such an impact at the time, no longer has as much momentum today and needs a reformulation more in line with our perspective.
A different staging, but without the expected impact
Marta Pazos' style is well known in today's theatrical world. The artist is characterized by creating scenographies full of color, objects, and grand designs that accompany the works (as is the case with the adaptation of The Marriage of Figaro at the Liceu). But, on this occasion, color has been completely replaced by a gray tone that envelops the entire proposal: the stage, the costumes, and the atrezzo. Gray envelops everything, the gray that characterizes life in the city, industrialized society, and the working classes. A gray that is only broken by the characters' makeup and Mackie the Knife's fluorescent wig, which symbolizes the breaking of norms and rebellion.
The wardrobe designed by Agustín Petronio is very successful, as it helps to define the identity and status of each role. However, the prevailing grayscale at all times makes the staging appear, at times, flat and monotonous. In a production of such an extensive duration, a turning point is missed in the staging, either through a surprise element or a flash of color that provides the contrast so characteristic of Marta Pazos' imaginary.
The danger of 3 hours
The Threepenny Opera is an innovative, groundbreaking, fun proposal with performances that surprise from the first minute. But with such an extensive duration of three hours, the dramatic rhythm ends up paying the highest price. There are some songs that are excessively long, musical interpretations that add nothing to the plot, and theatrical scenes that wallow in the same theme. All this causes the rhythm to decline, the hours to weigh heavily, and physical fatigue to become inevitable; a sensation that is intensified by the uncomfortable stands of the Teatre Grec, ill-suited for a performance that lasts 180 minutes.
A clear example is a song performed by Júlia Truyol almost at the end of the proposal. The actress perfectly defends this scene, with intensity and emotion, but that song, so long and with such a slow rhythm, makes the audience disconnect and wish for the end to come. The same happens with the scene that precedes the alternative ending, when Mackie the Knife has the noose around his neck, literally; here, the characters approach him wallowing on the ground and making the scene dense, heavy, and repetitive. At such an important moment in the story, opting for that choreography makes all dramatic tension disappear and boredom knock on the door.
The proposal that inaugurated Grec 2026 deserves all the applause.
A proposal that deserves all the applause
Despite this, the proposal that inaugurated Grec 2026 deserves all the applause: for the precise, choreographed, and humorous interpretation of the actors and actresses, especially the brilliant and magnificent Nao Albet (what a show!); for the stage direction by Marta Pazos who created a clown opera with impossible movements and an absolutely groundbreaking tone; for the live music orchestrated by Dani Espasa that emphasizes the message of the work and manages to create a comic and dramatic atmosphere at the same time; and for the genius of an added final reflection, which makes us leave the theater with a smile.