On Seattle Shakes’ “Threepenny Opera,” and Why Supporting 4Culture Now Is a Must

Gordon Carpenter and John Bogar in “The Threepenny Opera”. Photo by John Ullman.

“Art isn’t nice.” So says Macheath, the central character in Bertolt Brecht’s 1928 musical The Threepenny Opera, the latest production of which is running one more weekend (Seattle Shakespeare Company performing at Intiman Theatre through Mar. 6, tickets $20-$40). Seattle Shakes has latched onto this phrase in its marketing–you can buy an “art isn’t nice” t-shirt, if you are so inclined–but unfortunately, the product on stage fails to live up to this playful promise.

John Bogar brings armloads of suave leading man polish to the stage as Mack the Knife, and there’s a talented cast of local actors backing him up, but on the whole the production doesn’t have teeth. Brecht, the Weimar-era Marxist, envisioned theatre as a sharply political form. SSC’s production mostly skirts the politics, aside from a few low hanging fruits: the line “Who is the greater criminal, he who robs a bank or he who founds one?” certainly got laughter and applause the night I was there. By and large though, this production lacks any sense of danger, and that’s frustrating.

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Is it fun? If you’re a nerd for musicals, if you love the show mostly for Kurt Weill’s catchy music,  sure. Seattle Shakespeare Company, venturing into territory far more contemporary than its usual fare, puts Threepenny Opera on the cavernous Intiman Stage with the same flair it brings to the Bard. But in more modern terms, Brecht would be far closer to punk rock in spirit and intent than to anything resembling the modern musical; SSC’s Threepenny feels like a classic for the sake of doing a classic. If you’re expecting something more edgy and challenging, you’re going to have a long night; and as the show clocks in at three hours with two intermissions, I mean that literally.

Still, a lot of the audience seemed to really enjoy this Threepenny Opera. Seattle Shakespeare Company, now in its 20th year, has built a loyal following under the leadership of Artistic Director Stephanie Shine, (who also directed Threepenny) and Managing Director John Bradshaw. Although the work that they do tends to fall outside my own personal tastes and aesthetic, I’m not really a part of the audience they cater to. And, although there have been some interesting discussions of late about how much Shakespeare we do and should do in American theatre, arts patrons have diverse tastes and I like that there’s room for a company like SSC in Seattle. Of course, this is a time of great turbulence for arts organizations of all sizes and whether or not that capacity will continue to exist in the longer term remains to be seen.

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One of the things that has helped to keep the local arts ecosystem diverse has been the funding of organizations like the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs in Seattle and 4Culture at the county level.

4Culture, which provides significant support to arts and heritage organizations of all sizes throughout the county, has been funded for 20 years by a small portion of the lodging tax in King County, (the same one that built Safeco Field and Qwest Field). Due to the way that tax is structured, 4Culture is in danger of losing its funding in 2012.

As chronicled by David Brewster,  numerous legislative attempts to save 4Culture in recent years have been stymied by politics. Now it’s do or die. This year, there are two bills in Olympia that could save 4Culture. In the House, HB 1997 would restructure the existing tax and provide continued funding for 4Culture as part of King County’s larger economic development package, which also includes funding for a convention center expansion among other things. After testimony from County Executive Dow Constantine and a room packed full of arts supporters, HB 1997 passed through committee last week and should be getting a floor vote any day now. Separately, Senator Ed Murray’s SB 5834 is a standalone bill that would continue funding for 4Culture, and will receive a vote in the Senate soon.

If you care about the arts in King County, you owe it to yourself to stay informed about 4Culture. Grassroots group Advocate4Culture is convening a coalition of supporting organizations and individuals who value 4Culture and are willing to advocate on its behalf. So far, over 800 have answered the call. If you believe the arts are vital and want to get involved, check out the Advocate4Culture website, join the coalition, and let your legislators hear from you soon. Whether you like your art nice or not.