A Celebration of Brecht’s Three Penny Opera at Occidental Center for the Arts

It was an exciting moment at The Camp Meeker Players (CMP) 40 Year Reunion, “Our Golden Age of Community Theater.” During the Occidental Center for the Arts show held on Saturday, July 21, 2012, Chappell received a whooping and hollering standing ovation for her performance of Pirate Jenny, her reward for weeks of work, the first time she had attempted a song from a non-Broadway theater tradition. In the weeks leading up to the performance she said she felt as if she was trying to memorize three pages of dialogue. She succeeded without any prompting from the piano player (who had the words ready in case!)

   The song Pirate Jenny is considered the second most favorite song from Bertolt Brecht’s Three Penny Opera (1928). Brecht’s lyrics, originally in German, were translated by Mark Blitzstein in 1954. The music was composed by Kurt Weill. Musicians are drawn to Weill’s use of unusual chords and dissonant effects that still retain a haunting beauty. The most famous song from the show describes the exploits of Macheath, the star villain, Mack the Knife. This song was also performed by Mitch Greenhill at the show (accompanied by Dave Holt).

   Most of our generation first heard Pirate Jenny performed by Judy Collins in its English translation on her 1966 album, In My Life. It depicts “Mackie’s” favorite prostitute, Jenny, who imagines being a lowly maid at a "crummy old hotel", where she endures contempt from the townspeople. In her imagined revenge, a fantasy pirate ship, “the Black Freighter,” enters the harbor, turns its 50 cannons on the city and fires, flattening every building except Jenny’s hotel. “And you ask, why the hell spare that one?”

   The pirates come ashore, chain up all the townspeople, and present them to Jenny, who orders the pirates to kill them all. “That’ll learn ya,” she snarls, and after the terrible deed, she sails away with them.

   Although the song was originally planned for Macheath’s wife, Polly Peachum, it is usually featured in the second act and performed by Jenny. Jenny has given her former lover Mackie, “Mack the Knife,” shelter from the police but she is jealous of his wife, Polly. Eventually, she accepts a bribe from Mackie’s “mother in law,” Mrs. Peachum (Mackie likely had more than one wife), who pays Jenny to tip off the police. Mackie is caught and taken to be hanged. The song suggests that she likes the idea of having Mackie's fate in her hands.

   On this live recording of Chappell Holt’s performance, Dave Holt performs on grand piano, and Mitch Greenhill on guitar.  Mitch, a Grammy award winning producer for his work with Doc Watson, also produced and mixed the recording.

On Digging It

   Berkeley Poets Judy Wells and Dale Jensen attended our Chester’s gig on June 29^th and Judy was intrigued by the Chappell and Dave song, "Nobody Says They Dig It."

"I was raised a way up in the country, don’t you know,

We kept close to the earth on which we’d grown,

So when I say I dig it, it’s just plain speakin’ to me,

I’m back to my roots, a little bit like back home."

Judy Wells was born in San Francisco and raised in Martinez, California. She received her B.A. from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. She has nine books of poetry to her credit. She wrote to us after our performance:

“I did do my research on 'dig it.'  Believe it or not, the phrase is from the Irish, tuig, (pronounced ttig, dig).  It's a verb meaning to understand, comprehend, have a feeling for; realize; discern, perceive. An dtuigeann tú (pronounced an dig'an tu?) do you see (understand)?  An dtuigeann tú leat mé?  Do you understand my meaning?  Are you diggin' me?

The musician Louis Armstrong popularized the New Orleans slang term 'dig' in the 1930s. 

It is probable that the Irish word tuig as 'dig' was introduced into the African-American community by Irish-and Gaelic-speaking family members. 

I'm quoting directly from Danny Cassidy's book, How the Irish Invented Slang: The Secret Language of the Crossroads, Counterpunch and AK Press, 2007."

 

   Danny Cassidy was co-director and founder of the Irish Studies Program at New College in San Francisco before the college had to shut down a while back.  (Unfortunately, Danny died of cancer not all that long ago.)

by Judy Wells

“… High as a Kite on the Fourth of July …”

Summer comes blowing in like the ocean breeze in the Broadway musical South Pacific, making us all “bromidic and bright as a moon-happy night pouring light on the dew.” (Yes, that is also part of the lyric to the song Wonderful Guy.)

     We had a marvelous month in June celebrating the inspiration of the muses and our local music communities at First Street Café in Benicia, CA, also Chester’s Café in Berkeley where John Roy Zat and his musician friends performed (including our guest performance of a couple of tunes).

     Dave also accompanied gospel singer Dinah Chapman in June along with the “house band” at Walnut Creek Unity Center (see our blog).

     We hosted and performed music and poetry at the San Mateo County Fair Native American Poets event. Poet/flautist Bob Loomis added his eloquent American Indian flute performance to enhance the words, especially with his beautiful accompaniment to Dave’s Mojave desert poem, Sky Gods are Weaving a Basket of Light. Poet Nannette Deetz (Dakota, Cherokee, German) has been learning her native Dakota language and she performed the enchanting poems that she has written in Dakota accompanied by her partner Charlie Lopez, Sr, on guitar, and Dave on hand drum.  

     Friday the 29^th was our first show at Chester’s, with Karl Hartmann on bass. Not only was it a musical blast, but the audience was filled with old and new friends, and fans. There were several reunions: friends from Idaho we had not seen in 17 years who saw our post on Facebook and were going to be here at that time, a niece Chappell had not seen in 37 years brought her husband and baby. It was a lovely night in every way. The audience sang along on The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down as we raised our glasses to honor Levon Helm.  

     In July, Dave will be backing up the poet Mary Loughran, a featured reader at the Alameda Poets monthly gathering, with Toora Loora Loora, an Irish lullaby, sung and drummed to her poem. This event is Thursday, July 5 at Books, Inc., 1344 Park St, Alameda, CA, 7 pm, no cover charge; 510-522-2226. This store is very supportive of the poetry readings. One employee, Ben, often reads at the open mike following the featured reader’s set. 

     Chappell and Dave will perform at The Camp Meeker Players (CMP) 40 Year Reunion celebrating “Our Golden Age of Community Theater” on Saturday, July 21, 2012, at Occidental Center for the Arts. **Please note that this post is for information only. The show is sold out**.  

     From 1972 to 1979, this Northern California theater group staged such productions as Deadwood Dick, Three Penny Opera, Caucasian Chalk Circle, Macbeth, Wizard of Oz, Dracula, and many more. Dave Holt and Mitch Greenhill are music directors of the program that includes musicians from the original troupe: Jan Ferrin, Mitch, John Roy Zat, and other alumni of the Players, along with Chappell Holt and myself. She and I will perform songs from the CMP shows, along with songs by local Sonoma County bands of the era.  Selections from original scores for Caucasian Chalk Circle by Dave Holt, and Wizard of Oz by Jan Ferrin will also be featured.   

     Dave will participate in a salon panel discussion: “Universality: Does the Whole Give Meaning to its Parts,” to take place Monday, July 30, at the weekly, "Wow, Salon for the Arts," created by Angar Mora. Dave will be contributing insights based on indigenous (American Indian) philosophy. This event is hosted by Tanya Joyce, with contributors Dave Holt, and Harriet Ann Burge.  Angar Mora’s salon is held at Cafe Arrivederci, 11 G Street  San Rafael, CA 94901, 5:30 pm, $10 cover. The evening begins with a shared meal of the excellent Italian cuisine to encourage conversation between the artists. There are usually two presenters, followed by a raffle of the artist’s products. (415) 453-6427.  

     Chappell and Dave Holt will perform again at Chester’s Bayview Café, 1508 Walnut St # B, Berkeley, CA. There is a full bar, and the food (great salads, fajitas, fish and chips, etc.) is very good. Our show is Thursday August 2, 2012, 7:30 – 9:30pm, no cover but tips are greatly appreciated. (510) 849-9995.   

     Don’t forget you can help us out by downloading a song from CD Baby and posting a review on Facebook. Also if you listen to a song all the way through on Reverbnation, it will help our chart stats. Thank you for your support and coming out to hear us. Happy Fourth of July!