STAGE REVIEW : In ‘Threepenny Opera,’ Women Wield the Knife

The dastardly charmer Macheath--a.k.a. Mack the Knife--may be the central character of “The Threepenny Opera,” but as performed by the Newport Theatre Arts Center, it’s the women who take charge of the show.

They’re the ones who best capture the passion and irony of Bertolt Brecht-Kurt Weill’s famed look at the underside of 19th-Century London, and the machinations that ensue when the thief Macheath marries Polly Peachum, daughter of the king of the beggars.

Adapted from the 18th-Century play, “The Beggar’s Opera,” “The Threepenny Opera” was an instant hit when it opened in Berlin in 1928. In the decades since, it has had numerous revivals in this country, including off-Broadway success (in 1954, starring Lotte Lenya, Weill’s widow), a run at Lincoln Center (in 1976, starring Raul Julia) and the recent and costly Broadway bomb (in 1989, starring Sting).

And of course, its most famous song made its mark on the record charts in a number of different versions, most notably Bobby Darin’s.

What has always set the play apart is its daring score--a fusion of classical and jazz--and the book’s mix of entertainment and political/social attack on the inequities of capitalism (after writing “Threepenny,” Brecht became a Communist).

That mix doesn’t quite work in Newport--possibly because many of the actors are working harder at their accents than at dialogue. Another problem: the physical constraints of the theater. The sizable cast (more than a dozen) sometimes has a tough time fitting on the stage. Moving around wobbly sets--especially the rickety jail that holds Macheath--and all those props, the cast seems as distracted at times as the audience.

But there’s no want of enthusiasm on stage. And what works particularly nicely are the performances by actresses Mindy Miller (Polly), Lizbeth Lucco (Lucy) and Kate Halvorsen (Jenny)--as the women who love Macheath.

All three seem to have a keen sense of who they’re playing; when Polly and Lucy square off against each other by singing “The Jealousy Song,” it’s truly a musical duel to get a man. If only Jon Gale--as Macheath--wasn’t so distant in his performance. And if only he were more charismatic. We’d like to believe this calculating cad was worthy of at least some of this passion.

‘THE THREEPENNY OPERA’

A Newport Theatre Arts Center production of the Bertolt Brecht-Kurt Weill musical. English adaptation by Marc Blitzstein. Directed by Irene George. With Jon Gale, Mindy Miller, Michael Smylie, Jann Perkins-Norton, Arlo Gates, Lizbeth Lucco, Kate Halvorsen and Edwin Schuyler. Musical direction by Tim Nelson. Costume design by Lia M. Hansen. Through June 23 at the Newport Theatre Arts Center, 2501 Cliff Drive, Newport Beach. Performances are Thursdays to Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets: $13. (714) 631-0288.