Review: The Threepenny Opera

Either high school productions have improved greatly since I last saw one nearly 30 years ago, or the drama students at Koonung Secondary are exceptional. The performance I attended on Saturday evening was terrific.

The small close-knit group of students ranging from Year 8 to Year 12 were brave to have a go at this show, and they were prepared to take risks. Those risks well and truly paid off and the company can be proud of what they have achieved.

Students composed music for the shows songs, and the music was a highlight of the night's performance. Bravo. My 13 year old companion thought the soundtrack created too cheerful a mood to complement the dark material the actors were working with, but I thought it was fitting and struck the right note of melancholy.

The simple staging techniques were well executed and effective. The absence of scenery and extensive costuming exposes the actors more than usual; the mood, the scene, all has to be conveyed by the actor, as well as the dialogue. Hard going, but the Koonung students pulled it off. The cast members, many of them experienced performers, were well equipped to cope with the demands of the script.

The Threepenny Opera is a bit “out there” and heavy and despite their youth the cast members handled the material with maturity and sincerity.

My only quibble is a technical one. I had trouble hearing the soloists over the piano, and I was seated in the second row. The majority of the theatre couldn't hear those lovely singing voices well enough to truly appreciate them.

Overall, a top show. 4 stars.