Surname 1

Name

Professor

Course

Date []

Rise and fall of the City of Mahagonny- Production Critique

Introduction

Fundamentally anchored on the satirical representation of capitalism, Brecht's ‘Rise and

fall of the City of Mahagonny’ has undoubtedly never been as practical and relevant to the times

as it presently is, with the current rise in consumerism and populism. Essentially, it is the norm to

give the people what they want as long as they can get into positions of power and make some

money out of it. In Brecht's text, the power of money and evil is in control when the system is

corrupted. While the script itself is a great read, its production and cinematic presentation are

what allow the audience to ascend and relate to this great work of Brecht in communicating his

ideas. Over the years, several opera versions have staged Brecht's Rise and Fall of the City of

Mahagonny, with some extensively managing to effectively communicate the text's ideas and

others dismally relaying Brecht's ideas. In this regard, this essay particularly closely critiques the

2019 production of this work by the Belgian stage director Ivon van Hove.

Insightful and challenging production

Firstly, it is noteworthy to acknowledge that Ivon van Hove's staging is delightful. Much

of the joy is not simply attributed to the nature of Brecht's brutal story but emanates from

witnessing a director who has mastered his craft. Mr. Ivon's concept is true to his style and, to

some extent, in tune with Brecht's ideas and intention. However, despite seemingly being in a
 Surname 2

great position to make this subject relevant and contemporary, Mr. Ivan's production misses the

general essence of the text regarding modern representation. This production utilizes Mr. Ivon's

familiar modern stage techniques comprising a stripped backstage, projections, and on-stage

cameras. In so doing, the production effectively manages to emphasize the idea of capitalism

being grounded on falsehood, a sense of illusion, and fake glamour, which is evidently in tandem

with Brecht's ideas in the text, but also blatantly comes out dull and not as effective as it should

be.

Ideological representation

Notably, for Brecht's 'Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny,' different productions

heavily lean on Brecht's libretto, subjecting the characters and audiences to several scenes of

violence and savagery. Such productions miss on several other attributable ideas that have been

represented by deceptively straightforward Brecht's imaginations and those depicted in the music

by Weil. In this vein, Mr. Ivon's production overcomes this undoing: The production proves that

they understand this aspect and clearly illustrates it, though not offering a particularly revelatory

read of the opera. The production's staging has the appearance of an avant-garde theater

comprising of live video and harsh lighting. However, they are relatively direct and quite tame.

Alienation effect

The productions use video, where the camera crew follows the cast around, and most

show action in the wings that the audience cannot see. Such reflects contemporary life, with

meaningless minutes and historic moments being shared and filmed in real-time. In accordance

with the Brechtian theater language, such is an alienation tool for the audience, reminding them

that they should not lose themselves in the narrative and that the world satirized in the 'Rise and
 Surname 3

Fall of the City of Mahagonny' is, without doubt, the same modern-day world. This production

uses the video screen to present every scene's titles, such as 'the execution of Mahoney', which

are essential features in Brecht's original production. Unlike Mr. Ivon, most contemporary shows

exclude this aspect, though it is evident that the opera cannot operate effectively without them.

Undoubtedly, Brecht was not interested in engaging the feelings of his audiences: Rather, he was

after the alienation effect. In Mr. Ivon's production, the 'alienation effect' is vividly represented in

several scenes, such as when prostitute Jenny romantically sings a song while changing her

clothes and doing her make-up, despite all the attention focused on her. This scene represents a

typical Brecht. It is practically impossible for the audience to forget the reality and dive into the

story, as several fictional works' primary objective. On the contrary, the audience is forced to

retain a critical perspective by being reminded constantly that the individuals on the stage are

just actors. On the other hand, in regards to the case of an opera, this production made the

partnership and chemistry between Brecht and composer Weill look so real as it worked out

incredibly well. Mr. Ivon intended to achieve a sharp contrast between the feeling conveyed by

the melodies and the ideas shared by the lyrics for producing a comic effect and juxtaposing

people's ideas regarding what they wanted and the extent they would go at the expense of others.

This satire is noticeable when the Mahagonny people sing a lofty song, which sounds like a good

fit for praising human glories, but whose lyrics are not just ridiculous but wicked.

On the other side of the spectrum, Mr. Ivan's production is not overly faithful to the provisions of

Brecht's ideas in the text. Among the production's interventions is the female character treatment,

depicting them as more empowered than ever. For example, Begbick, one of Mahagonny's

founders, towers in musicality and sheer presence as well as the powerful prostitutes led by

Jenny Hill, who is not just charismatic but also chilly. Consequently, the director sets the
 Surname 4

production in the film studio, for not making it a backstage drama but rather suggesting that it is

entirely a mirage or a fantasy, basically too good to be true.

Ideally, the world should at least be superficially appealing and attractive. However, in this

production, Mr. Ivan does not even allow such an illusion; instead, he shows the audience its

ugliness and how people are willing to look past it to suit their immediate needs. It is not

surprising that the stage is bare at the start of the opera. Widow Begbick, Trinity Moses, and

Fatty find themselves in the middle of nowhere, criminals chased out of town so that they cannot

go back, with their track broken to not go forward. This predicament prompts Begbick to rally

his peers to build Mahagonny city out of nothing. This turnaround resonates with Brecht's ideas

that were not intended to be dogmatic. Brecht was always prepared to change, adapting to and

incorporating suggestions even from other persons, such as stagehands, into his plays. The three

'crooks' understood that they could not go back nor forward, hence had to settle on the idea that

they had to make a new city out of scratch. Mr. Ivon's production clearly understood this

viewpoint of Brecht and was aware of the changes needed to make in this production to make

Brecht's work dramatically effective.

This production has been updated to the modern age by incorporating how people have come

even to accept digital manipulation as something worth; when, in actual sense, it lacks any

material value whatsoever. Essentially, everything is acted out for the cameras, with the

digitalized generation seeking to be immortalized on reality television shows. Apparently, even

the indulgences in the scene of 'everything is permitted' of this production occur within a faked

green-screen environment. Surprisingly, the audiences have accepted this as good enough,

despite it depicting a hollow experience. These depictions set out the Brecht’s ideas from the

fictional stories; the realization that cinematic representations are aimed at practically engaging
 Surname 5

the audiences on the realities of life and not as a way of running away from the same. Mr. Ivon

clearly understood this perspective of Brecht, and in this production, he gives a good account of

his production talents.

Conclusion

Brecht's influential work hugely impacts modern theatre as a playwright, producer, and

theoretician. In regards to the produced version of his work, Rise and Fall of the City of

Mahagonny' by Ivon van Hove, this production has elaborated that while it is challenging to

represent Brecht's ideas in opera versions effectively, fanciful directorial flights coupled with in-

depth text understanding are critical for a close production to the original version. Brecht's style

is difficult to catch, and admittedly reproducing such kind of parody like the Mahagonny is such

a monumental task. Hence, while some elements of Mr. Ivon's production make it seem hollow

and lacking in substance, the representation of Brecht's ideas has been extensively achieved. The

production establishes a nuanced interpretation of that, showing the richness of Brecht's ideas in

the Mahogany text, his dynamism, and unexpected sophistication. The production has effectively

described the human motives as laid out in the text, primarily the need for survival, even if it

means acting out of desperation.