First comes the food, then comes morality. A petty criminals' wedding! In a horse stable in the London district of Soho, the bandit Macheath, known as Mackie Messer (Mack the Knife), marries Polly Peachum, the daughter of the King of the Beggars. Among those congratulating the happy couple at the wedding are Macheath's accomplices and Police Chief Tiger-Brown, who has been friends with Mackie since their time together in the army and who regularly turns a blind eye to his shady dealings. What neither Brown nor Polly knows is that it's not only Polly but also Brown's own daughter, Lucy, who has fallen victim to Macheath's seductive charms! Polly's father, Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum, a successful operator of the company "Beggars' Friend," also has a say in the secretly concluded marriage. He not only seeks the quickest possible divorce for the newlywed couple, but would most like to see Macheath hanged on the gallows for his misdeeds right away. His wife, Celia, sets a trap for Mackie Messer: she bribes the "Whores of Soho," who promptly hand Mac over to the constabulary when, despite all warnings, he comes to visit them as he does every Thursday. While Macheath plots in the dungeon of Old Bailey to escape execution, Police Chief Brown has quite different worries: the solemn coronation procession of the Queen of England is imminent, and a threatened uprising of the starving and poor on London's streets is the last thing he needs... In 1928, the premiere of The Threepenny Opera, with its unsparing analysis of political conditions, struck a nerve in the Weimar Republic. Together with the composer Kurt Weill, Brecht created an opera of "beggars, thieves and whores," who, unlike the bourgeoisie, cannot afford morality.

The Threepenny Opera

Mainfranken Theater Würzburg

Also in this season, the Master Concerts continue the collaboration with the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg: conducting students shape this evening together with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Würzburg.

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Master Concert

Hochschule für Musik

Opera in Italian with German surtitles. Recommended for ages 13 and up. Musical direction: Mark Rohde; Staging: Alicia Geugelin; Set design: Letycia Rossi; Costume design: Pia Preuß; Lighting: Andreas Rehfeld; Video: Krzysztof Honowski, Ruth Stofer; Camera: Laura Emma Hansen; Chorus master: Pawel Serafin; Dramaturgy: Samuel Zinsli.

Nabucco

Theaterfabrik

World premiere on October 10, 2026. Recommended for ages 16 and up. Based on the novel by Leonhard Frank (1932). Direction: Ingo Putz; Set and Costume Design: Marie Vecchio; Lighting: Ernst Schießl; Dramaturgy: Thorben Meißner.

Von drei Millionen Drei

Ballet/dance piece with music by Frédéric Chopin, choreography by Dominique Dumais, piano performed live on stage. Recommended age: 12 and up.

Résonances Chopin

For babies and the rest of the family. Recommended age 0-3 years. Thrilling marches, rousing dances and calm melodies. With music from Purcell to Handel, and from Lully to Bach, we take you on a journey across the musical Europe of the Baroque.

Mainfranken-Theater Würzburg

Nov 7, 2026 - Jan 17, 2027

Résonances Chopin

Oct 17 - Dec 15, 2026

Nabucco

Nov 8, 2026 - Mar 7, 2027

Baby Concert

Oct 10 - Nov 27, 2026

Von drei Millionen Drei

Nov 6, 2026 - May 2, 2027

The Threepenny Opera

Nov 6, 2026 - May 2, 2027

The Threepenny Opera

Nov 5, 2026 - Apr 22, 2027

Master Concert

Mainfranken-Theater Würzburg