CLU presents Brecht-Weill musical at Civic Arts Plaza

California Lutheran University's Theatre Arts and Music Departments will present Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's "The Threepenny Opera" at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

Performances will be 7:30 p.m. Fri. and Sat., April 20, 21, 27 and 28, and 2:30 p.m. Sun., April 22 and 29.

"The Threepenny Opera," described as "a masterpiece of musical theater," grew out of the writers' experience of Weimar Germany and was first performed in Berlin in 1928. It takes place between the World Wars when Germany struggled to establish a working democracy in the face of economic malaise and the bitterness of military defeat.

The opera is based on the English poet John Gay's 1728 operatic satire "The Beggar's Opera" set in London's Soho. According to producers, "Brecht's sardonic and brittle text creates an array of seedy, colorful characters in a world of beggars, thieves and prostitutes."

The play is not recommended for children. Admission is $25.

Tickets may be purchased through Ticketmaster or in person at the Civic Arts Plaza box office.

For more information, call the Theatre Arts Department at (805) 493-3415.