Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny

by Kurt Weill
Opera in three acts
Libretto by Bertolt Brecht
in German with German and English Surtitles
In 1930 Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht created a new type of grand opera, radical in both, entertainment as well as criticism. With the wit of an epic theatre and the musical esprit of old and worn bar songs mixed with music of the avant-garde, Weill and Brecht built the fable of a city in paradise that finally perishes from its own utopias: in the end there is only one mortal sin left – the sin of insolvency. Together with a young ensemble, director Ulrike Schwab explores the one question: Who would still dare to dream of a better future today.
Location
Opernhaus
Duration
Part I: approx. 1 h 5 min
Interval: approx. 30 min
Part II: approx. 1 h 5 min
World premiere
1930 in Leipzig

Premiere of this production
May 11, 2024
Recommended age
from grade 9
There will be an introduction 45 minutes before the performance at foyer I. floor.
Apr 2025
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Wed
16
19:00 – 21:45
Opernhaus
First performance this season
8 / 17 / 26 / 40 / 53 / 66 / 82 / 99 / 115 €
Cast
Musikalische Leitung Michele Gamba
Regie Ulrike Schwab
Bühne Lena Schmid, Pia Dederichs
Kostüme Rebekka Dornhege Reyes
Licht Jakob Flebus
Dramaturgie Franz-Erdmann Meyer-Herder, Julia Schmitt
Chor Manuel Pujol
Leokadja Begbick Alisa Kolosova
Fatty Elmar Gilbertsson
Dreieinigkeitsmoses Joshua Bloom
Jenny Hill Josefin Feiler
Jim Mahoney Matthias Klink
Jakob Schmidt / Tobby Higgins Florian Panzieri
Bill Laureano Quant
Joe Jasper Leever
Sechs Mädchen von Mahagonny N.N.
Staatsorchester Stuttgart, Staatsopernchor Stuttgart
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Sat
19
19:00 – 21:45
Opernhaus
8 / 18,50 / 29 / 43 / 58 / 72 / 90 / 108 / 126 €
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Tue
22
19:00 – 21:45
Opernhaus
8 / 17 / 26 / 40 / 53 / 66 / 82 / 99 / 115 €
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Sat
26
19:00 – 21:45
Opernhaus
8 / 18,50 / 29 / 43 / 58 / 72 / 90 / 108 / 126 €
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Tue
29
19:00 – 21:45
Opernhaus
8 / 17 / 26 / 40 / 53 / 66 / 82 / 99 / 115 €
May 2025
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Fri
9
19:00 – 21:45
Opernhaus
8 / 18,50 / 29 / 43 / 58 / 72 / 90 / 108 / 126 €
Synopsis
Prologue
Begbick and Jenny reflect on the fact that the paradise city of Benares has been destroyed by an earthquake. A new paradise city is needed — and this time they’re going to take matters into their own hands.

Act 1
On the run from federal agents in America, the three criminals Begbick, Fatty and Trinity Moses find themselves in the middle of nowhere. The idea of panning for gold in rivers seems too strenuous to them, so instead they decide to found a new paradise city right there on the spot which is to be called Mahagonny. Promising cheap alcohol and other pleasures, they hope to attract rich men who they can squeeze money out of with as little effort as possible. Young Jenny and some other girls soon arrive, seeking to earn a living by going on the game. Having spent seven years working hard in the Alaskan cold, Jim Mahoney, Jakob Schmidt, Joe and Bill follow the beckoning call of the city, in search of fun for their hard-earned money. To their surprise, and much to the chagrin of Begbick and her two friends, some people are already starting to leave town. But any doubts are soon cast aside: the four from Alaska are introduced to Jenny and the girls as soon as they arrive. Jim briefly negotiates rates, then takes Jenny as his girl. After a while however, Jim begins to resent the city’s prohibitions and the simplicity of its pleasures. When a typhoon speeds towards Mahagonny, threatening to wipe it out entirely, he takes the opportunity to proclaim his own law to the terrified residents: “Do what you please!” From now on everything is allowed — except having no money.
Act 2
The storm changes direction shortly before it reaches Mahagonny, encouraging the people of the city to interpret Jim’s new law as they see fit. From now on, the most important things are eating, lovemaking, boxing and drinking. Driven by his devotion to the city’s new rules, Jakob Schmidt gorges himself to death. Meanwhile, Jenny and the girls are faced with no end of potential suitors. Joe challenges Trinity Moses to a boxing contest, in which he dies. Having lost his bet on Joe, Jim invites the whole of Mahagonny to a drink, but is then surprised to discover that he can’t pay the bill: he has violated his own law — the ban on poverty — and is put under arrest.

Act 3
While Jim awaits trial, the murderer Tobby Higgins is acquitted of bribery by the court due to the absence of injured parties, as is the manslayer Trinity Moses. Unwilling to support him in his plight, Jenny and Bill — Jim’s last remaining friend from Alaska — refuse to buy Jim’s freedom. Finally, Jim is found guilty and sentenced to death for having no money. With his demise, the city of Mahagonny falls into chaos too, totally shattering the utopian vision of a paradise city.

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