34 | thethreepennyoperaproductionnote Each of the seven main characters fall into one of four social categories: beggars, prostitutes, cops, or thugs. Throughout the opera, these social groups interact in puppet and human form, manipulating and controlling one another for their own benefit. In the first act, the beggar-leaders Mr. and Mrs. Peachum, have learned that their daughter Polly is in love with thug-leader Macheath and plot to end the relationship. Meanwhile, Mack and Polly proceed to get married, resulting in a celebration that includes Polly singing “Pirate Jenny” and Chief of Police Tiger Brown singing “Canon Song” with his old army pal Macheath. Polly returns home to her parents (“Barbara Song”), who have decided the most rational and appropriate way to get rid of their unwanted sonin-law is to have Mack arrested and killed. The second act opens as Mack takes leave of Polly in order to attend “other business.” Mrs. Peachum, meanwhile, meets with Jenny, the leader of the prostitutes, to scheme against Macheath. As Mack takes care of his “other business” (at the brothel), he and Jenny first reminisce about their times together in “The Pimp’s Ballad”—just before Jenny betrays him to the police. In jail, Mack is visited by Polly and Lucy, the daughter of the Chief of Police who (surprise!) is also married to Mack. Lucy’s marriage to Mack is revealed to Polly (“The Jealousy Duet”). Mack then escapes from prison with Lucy’s help. The third and final act opens as Mr. Peachum begins to implement his plan to arrest Mack again, intending to have Mack killed after imprisoned. Knowing that Tiger Brown has sympathies towards Mack, he decides to blackmail Brown into arresting Macheath by using the Queen’s upcoming coronation to his advantage. Peachum has trained his beggars to complain publicly about the monarchy at the coronation, which would reflect poorly on Tiger Brown. To avoid this embarrassment, the Chief of Police knows he must do
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Costume sketches by Costume Designer, Erik Teague for Macheath and Jenny.
