Oh the shark has pretty teeth, dear...

On Friday we had a are trip to the theatre to see Brecht and Weill's The Threepenny Opera. Originally a condemnation of the Weimar Republic (think Cabaret performed by Tom Waits), this production has caused some local controversy for updating it to contemporary Sydney. Unsurprisingly, the themes of political corruption and moral bankruptcy among the ruling classes survive the transition just fine.

The plot revolves around the infamous villain MacHeath, aka Mack the Knife, who revels in the assertion of brute power and his apparent immunity from the law. His catalogue of crimes remains shocking, including numerous instances of rape and murder.

Weirdly, among the whirl of coke-snorting bishops and transvestite prostitutes, M&I both felt that the most transgressive moment was The Soldier's Song, including the lyrics "Black or brown or khaki/A darkie's still a darkie". We have become inured to everything, it seems, except the possibility that the Aussie Digger may not be entirely PC when it comes to dealing with the locals.