01.11.1989
USA, New York, Lunt Fontaine Theatre	
The Threepenny Opera	
good Aud.

01.11.1989, USA, New York, Lunt Fontaine Theater -- The ThreePenny Opera

Disc 1: [1:03:58]
Part 1 – 3

Disc 2: [53:18]
Part 4 – 5
* part 4 cuts off..... 
 
Source: Enhanced

The production of BERTOLT BRECHT'S and KURT WEILL'S 3 PENNY OPERA, performed in 1989 with STING as the crook Macheath, was a creative and risky departure from Sting's solo career. He had just finished NOTHING LIKE THE SUN with Marsalis, Andy Summers, Ruben Blades, Clapton and Mark Knopfler. Besides his part in 3 Penny Opera, Sting was devoting himself to environmental causes at the time. Always the artist who stretches himself.

Musical numbers
Vorspiel (Prelude)

nr 1 Ouverture 
2 Moritat vom Mackie Messer (aka "Mack the Knife") (Ausrufer - Streetsinger) 
Erster Akt (First Act)

3 Morgenchoral des Peachum (Peachum) 
4 Anstatt-dass-Song (Peachum, Frau Peachum) 
5 Hochzeitslied (Chor,) 
6 Seeräuberjenny (Polly)* 
7 Kanonensong (Macheath, Brown) 
8 Liebeslied (Polly, Macheath) 
9 Barbarasong (Polly)† 
10 I. Dreigroschenfinale (Polly, Peachum, Frau Peachum) 
Zweiter Akt (Second Act)

nr 11 Melodram (Macheath) 
11a Polly's Lied (Polly) 
12 Ballade von der sexuellen Hörigkeit (Frau Peachum)
13 Zuhälterballade (Jenny, Macheath) 
14 Ballade vom angenehmen Leben (Macheath) 
15 Eifersuchtsduett (Lucy, Polly) 
16 II. Dreigroschenfinale (Macheath, Frau Peachum, choir) 
Dritter Akt (Third Act)

nr 17 Lied von der Unzulänglichkeit menschlichen Strebens (Peachum) 
18 Salomonsong (Jenny) 
19 Ruf aus der Gruft (Macheath) 
20 Grabschrift (Macheath) 
20a Gang zum Galgen 
21 III. Dreigroschenfinale (Brown, Frau Peachum, Peachum, Macheath, Polly, choir.) 

Produced by: Jerome Hellman
In association with Haruki Kadokawa and James M. Nederlander
Book and lyrics by: Bertolt Brecht
Music by: Kurt Weill
Director: John Dexter 
Conductor: Julius Rudel 
English version: Michael Feingold 
Stars: Sting (Mack), Maureen McGovern (Polly), Alvin Epstein (Mr. Peachum), Georgia Brown (Mrs. Peachum) 
Length of run: ca. 2 months (65 performances) 

Notes: A star-crossed production complete with cross-over stars. With solid musical theater professionals backing up Sting and Maureen McGovern, the show seemed destined for success. Feingold's translation and Rudel's musical direction assured faithful renderings of both words and music. But it was an expensive flop-the "Three Million Penny Opera" in one headline. The stars and the director seemed unable to work together successfully (Dexter was ill throughout rehearsals and died soon after the show closed), and the staging never jelled. Sting has not tried his hand at theater since. As Variety put it: "What seemed like a surefire concept in theory- rock star does Brecht-Weill classic with classy English director of many hits-misses the brass ring in execution." -- Lunt-Fontanne Theater, New York (November 5 -December 31 1989)

note from the origin source: "This just arrived. Since I work in the theatre myself, I've been curious to check out Sting's stage performance. His acting sounds quite good -- I was surprised -- and singing, of course, is superb.
Unfortunately this recording seems to be a portable cassette recorder on somebody's lap in an echo-filled theatre. For purists I can make this available "as is" (not enhanced) or, for the rest of us, in an  "improved" version with the usual enhancements plus processing to bring the voices out, level annoying volume jumps, and generally improve playback on on regular CD players."

re-authoring Notes: this one obtained me via trade as: "New-York Lunt Fontaine Wav Complete --> low Decibel, far from the stage. Good" - indeed the db WAS terrible low. So i balanced the db level with Audope, sounds better now. The crowd noises are now as well louder and a bit annoying - but remember, its not a soundboard source, its an Audience recording! 

Lineage: FLAC > WAV > Adobe Audition (Level +6db) > WAV > CDR