The Threepenny Opera (Boston Lyric Opera)

Staged performances of Kurt Weill's operas are rarely found on rosters in these parts. In the case of "The Threepenny Opera," an archetypal work of historical significance, it is a lamentable omission. Boston Lyric Opera is rectifying the oversight with a superb production playing this week at the Huntington Avenue Theatre, one which does justice to the composer while bringing this unique composition to vivid life. The sold-out audience of opening night responded enthusiastically to the uniformly fine singing, and colorful staging.

The 1928 opera was adapted by Weill and Bertolt Brecht from John Gay's 18th century "Beggar's Opera," a work which lampooned the extravagances and formulae of Baroque Opera. Likewise, with its simple tunes and dry, dissonant harmonies, "The Threepenny Opera" is a reaction to the extravagances of Romantic grand opera. It is imbued with strong social satire, exhibiting the philosophical thinking of pre-WWII, Berlin intelligentsia. With the brevity of the solo songs, the score itself is comparatively brief, roughly 60 minutes in length. However, with the spoken dialogue, the work runs well over two hours. BLO presented the work in English, in a fine, updated translation by writer Michael Feingold. The company assembled an excellent cast of young, singing actors who brought off to perfection the music, the dialogue and the comedy.

An opera with a hero nicknamed "Mack the Knife" perfectly suits BLO's current "Opera Cuts Deep" season, and baritone Christopher Burchett polished off the role handily. Something of a new music specialist, the singer has previously appeared in contemporary operas with the BLO, as well as several companies throughout the US. Comfortable in the Weill idiom, he made a fine Macheath, singing with authority, while carrying out all the athletic stage business. His projected the spoken text with clarity, barely dropping a word.

Soprano Kelly Kaduce added a generous helping of Cyndi Lauper to her hilarious portrayal of Polly, Macheath's new wife, and she was terrific. In addition to singing the role well, her comic timing was dead-on. Equally amusing was Michelle Trainor's outrageous performance as Polly's raucous mother - done more in the style of Divine than Lauper. Boston veteran James Maddalena excelled as Mr. Peachum. His warm baritone was in fine condition, and his diction was exemplary, both in the singing and recitation.

As Macheath's former girlfriend, Lucy Brown, Chelsea Basler was vocally impressive. Although she specializes in the lighter, lyric soprano repertoire, she amassed a very big sound, her well-focused instrument resounding through the theater. A real trooper, she was a good sport about taking a pie in the face. Like his colleague, Christopher Burchett, baritone David Belcher is absolutely at home in contemporary opera. As Lucy's father, chief of police, Tiger Browne, Belcher sang and acted admirably. He got the plum part of singing the enormously popular "Ballad of Mack the Knife" in the prologue of the opera, and he made the most of it. Mezzo-soprano Renee Tatum debuted with the company as Jenny Diver, the whore who betrays Macheath. Her physical beauty and luxurious voice made her a welcome addition to an all-around terrific cast.

Contributing immeasurably to the success of the production, the directors and designers coordinated every detail of the production. And everything worked. Also making his debut with BLO, stage director James Darrah kept the action vigorous, while utilizing every inch of the smallish Huntington stage. As the sexuality is fairly explicit in the work, he neither underplayed nor exaggerated it in any way. His comic touches were quite entertaining, and he managed to maintain visual interest throughout.

Evocative and atmospheric, Pablo Santiago's lighting designs were nothing short of stunning. The striking sets of Julia Noulin-Marat had an Art Deco simplicity, but functioned well, and seemed to change appearance with the shifts in lighting. Suggesting the period, the fanciful costumes of Charles Neumann lent to the overall, visual appeal. The minor roles were all very well-handled, and, as always, music director David Angus led a well-articulated and rhythmically taut reading of the score.

"The Threepenny Opera" runs at the Huntington Avenue Theatre through Sunday, March 25, after which BLO will commence work on its final production of the season, Leonard Bernstein's "Trouble in Tahiti." For more information, visit the Boston Lyric Opera website.