The tenuous financial climate may add some unexpected resonances to the Theater Department’s upcoming production of “The Threepenny Opera,” Bertolt Brecht’s politically-charged 1928 musical about beggars whose morality is compromised by economic devastation. With a libretto by Bertolt Brecht and music by Kurt Weill. the production— featuring 14 actors, a 13-member orchestra, an array of puppets, and sets and costumes constructed out of recycled materials—premieres next month at both the Memorial Chapel and the ’92 Theater.

Despite its status as a classic work from Germany’s Weimar Republic, “The Threepenny Opera” still holds a mirror up to contemporary society. Indeed, the recent economic crisis loomed large over the production; the first dramaturgical meetings in the summer occurred within close proximity of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fiasco.

“Unfortunately, the play became more relevant as the process went on,” said Gedney Barclay ’09, an assistant director on the show who also appears as the misfit Filch. “The downfall of the U.S.’s economic life sort of thrust everything that’s going on in the play into a new light.”

Lyrics from songs like “The Second Threepenny Finale” speak to the conflict between higher ideals and base needs in times of financial chaos. “Don’t think that being right gets you along/All human beings live by doing wrong,” characters sing at one point; and later, “First comes the feeding, then the moral code.”

“Basically, the whole song is about how you can have morals, you can have these high ideas,” said Stage Manager Miriam Krent ’09. “But if you are not feeding your people, if you are not taking care of their basic needs, nothing will happen.”

Directed by Associate Professor of Theater Claudia Tatinge Nascimento, “Threepenny’s” first act will be performed in the Memorial Chapel. Following an intermission, however, the audience will move to the ’92, which is currently filled with a distinctive cardboard set. Costumes, as well, have been made from distinctive, and donated, materials—the “gang members,” for example, will be clad in denim outfits made from old blue jeans. Both are meant to crudely represent the real world rather than accurately replicate it, helping to create Brecht’s famous “alienation effect,” where the audience is always conscious that they are watching a piece of theater. Brecht’s commentary on religion and Christianity will be additionally amplified by the initial setting of the Chapel.

“I think it’s very Brechtian in the sense that it alienates you from the holiness the space naturally incurs,” Barclay said.

Besides the ambitious production design and weighty subject matter, Weill’s beautiful and non-traditional music, written for such instruments as saxophones, guitar and accordion, will be performed by The Wesleyan University Orchestra. Barclay adds that the Orchestra has not appeared in a Theater Department production since the 2005-6 school year.

“The resulting sound is very special,” said Musical Director and Adjunct Professor of Music Angel Gil-Ordóñez. “To find a balance between the beauty of the sound and the harshness that the character of the text requires is for me the challenge and, at the same time, the inspiration.”

While the logistics of coordinating such a daunting production are difficult, the production crew and actors are up to the challenge.

“The scope is so large, and it’s really great to get everyone involved,” Krent said. “I’ve never worked with such a large group of dedicated individuals. Everyone’s on top of their game. Everyone’s involved. There’s so much going on, but everyone is committed to making the show happen.”

“The Threepenny Opera” will be performed on Thursday, Dec. 4-Saturday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m., at both the Memorial Chapel and the ’92 Theater. A preview performance will also be performed on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m..