report: Maximiliano Crocamo
Interviews: Silvia Calió playing the role of Jenny Hill; Superintendent of the Giuseppe Verdi Opera House Foundation, Giovanni Polo
The Teatro Verdi di Trieste will host a rare production of Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny (Ascesa e caduta della città di Mahagonny), the seminal opera by Kurt Weill with a libretto by Bertolt Brecht, as part of its 2025–2026 opera and ballet season. The production, a co-production with Fondazione Teatro Regio di Parma and Fondazione i Teatri di Reggio Emilia, will run from January 30 to February 8, 2026.
Directed by Henning Brockhaus and musically led by conductor Beatrice Venezi, the opera will feature an international cast including mezzo-soprano Alisa Kolosova and soprano Nozomi Kato alternating in the role of Leokadja Begbick, the founder of the fictional city of Mahagonny. The production also stars Maria Belen Rivarola and Silvia Caliò as Jenny Hill, with Cristiano Olivieri and Santiago Martinez as Jim Mahoney.
The opera, originally created in the late 1920s in Berlin, tells the story of the rise and fall of Mahagonny, a city founded on unbridled pursuit of wealth and pleasure. Brockhaus’s staging introduces elements inspired by American painter Edward Hopper, depicting Mahagonny as a glittering but morally ambiguous metropolis. In his commentary, Brockhaus emphasized the city’s underlying social tensions, noting the presence of impoverished and exploited figures in the background, reflecting the darker consequences of unchecked capitalism.
“The city of Mahagonny promises freedom and indulgence,” said Brockhaus. “But that freedom is ultimately hollow. The narrative questions the value of wealth, pleasure, and the promises of a society built solely on consumption.”
Conductor Venezi, making her debut on this title, noted that Weill’s music amplifies the opera’s critique. “Mahagonny does not console; it observes,” she said. “It exposes the contradictions of a society driven by spectacle and consumption. The music is seductive and dissonant, reflecting both allure and instability, much like the city it portrays.”
The production’s set design is by Margherita Palli, costumes by Giancarlo Colis, lighting by Pasquale Mari, and choreography by Valentina Escobar. The Teatro Verdi’s orchestra and chorus, under the direction of maestro Paolo Longo, will perform the work, which has rarely been staged in Italy.
Several of Mahagonny’s songs, including the well-known Alabama Song, have entered the popular music canon, interpreted by artists ranging from David Bowie and The Doors to Milva and Marilyn Manson, highlighting the opera’s enduring cultural resonance.
Performance dates at Teatro Verdi are Friday, Jan. 30, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 31, at 4 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 1, at 4 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 6, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 7, at 6 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 8, at 4 p.m.
