The Threepenny Opera is all about sex, crime, power, corruption, the cult of celebrity and the exploitation of the poor.
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Although written in 1928, set almost a century earlier and based on a work 100 years before that, the show - opening on Friday in a new production by Canberra Repertory Society directed by Aarne Neeme - retains its relevance and power.
Neeme - who first directed The Threepenny Opera in 1980 - said many audiences enjoyed the show for its surface appeal, including the score by composer Kurt Weill that included songs such as the hit Mack the Knife. But, he said audiences didn't always see or hear the harsher social criticisms intended by co-writer Bertolt Brecht, who adapted John Gay's The Beggar's Opera with Elisabeth Hauptmann.
Tim Sekuless said his character in The Threepenny Opera, the criminal Macheath, also known as Mack the Knife, was "a consummate rogue" and an example of "the way we give status to people for reasons other than wholesome, moral virtues".
"The show invites audiences to consider why some of the ne'er-do-wells get off scot-free - I don't think any other show from 1928 that's survived this long is that relevant or cutting-edge today."
It also dealt with the issue of choice, but not in a simplistic manner.
"There were multiple opportunities for reform in this man's life - he didn't take them. His isn't the type of show that casts judgment on the characters - it wants the audience to consider it for themselves."
In keeping with this approach - a major principle of Brecht, who wanted to use his stage works to provoke thought and action - the actors were often directed to acknowledge the artificiality of theatre.
One of Macheath's relationships in the story is with the prostitute Jenny Diver, played by Helen McFarlane.
"She's an ex-lover of Mack the Knife - like all the women in his life, she's been wronged," McFarlane says.
"She seeks revenge."
McFarlane said she was enjoying the challenge of working in the Brechtian style, both playing a character and simultaneously commenting on her and the situation in which she finds herself.
"You're inviting the audience in, breaking down the fourth wall a bit ... It's all so juicy and delicious to play."
The Threepenny Opera has a preview at Theatre 3 on Thursday at 8pm and the season runs from February 26 to March 12. More information and bookings: canberrarep.org.au.
