STAGE

A pesky curtain that failed to operated properly was tamed by rock star/musician/actor Sting during a performance Sunday night of “The Threepenny Opera” in Washington. In the production that’s headed for Broadway--with Sting as Mack the Knife--a half-curtain that opens and closes throughout the play jammed in the third act. Stagehands finally forced it open, but the three wires that held it continued to move fitfully. As they came close to the jail cell where Sting, as Mack, was confined, his hand shot out and grabbed two of the wires. He held them tight for a few seconds, without breaking character or changing dialogue. The audience broke into applause, then calmed down to enjoy the remainder of the show. The final scene change had to be done in full view of the patrons, however.