Details

Weill collaborated with Brecht on this immorality play while living in Paris where he'd fled to escape the rise of the Nazis back home. The resultant 'sung ballet' is a surreal cabaret presented by a singer and a dancer, representing different aspects of the same personality. Anna I and Anna II travel to seven American cities to earn money for their family. Trouble is, the spiritual Anna II keeps succumbing to sin, which compromises their earning power, much to the chagrin of the practical Anna I. In the end it's Anna I who prevails, and gets what she wants; but it's at the cost of Anna II's spirit, which is crushed. The Seven Deadly Sins is a short, sharp stab at the heart of conventional bourgeois morality. Weill's score is witty, sparky, occasionally lyrical, and rigorously organised - a masterpiece in miniature. Sung in English. Running time approx. 35 minutes.

Cast/Performers

Rebecca Caine (Anna I), Beate Vollack (Anna II), Iain Paton (Tenor I), Nicholas Sharratt (Tenor II), Adrian Clarke (Father), Graeme Broadbent (Mother)

Creatives/Company

Music: Kurt Weill
Company: Opera North
Conductor: James Holmes
Director: David Pountney
Choreographer: Beate Vollack
Design: Johan Engels
Costume: Marie-Jeanne Lecca
Lighting: Adam Silverman
Translation: Michael Feingold