Where everything has a price

New for 2025/26. Consumerism meets hedonism in ENO’s alluring new production of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s rarely performed and frighteningly relevant tale: Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. 

Set in the doomed City of Mahagonny, this thought-provoking opera dissects humanity’s endless pursuit of satisfaction at any price, where greed, pleasure and moral decay collide with devastating consequences.  

With its bold melodies, biting satire and a story that resonates more than ever, this unique production offers a powerful exploration of what happens when desires know no bounds. 

Don’t miss the Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny live at the iconic London Coliseum in 2026 for an evening that will entertain, challenge, and leave you reflecting long after the curtain falls. Book tickets now to enjoy an unforgettable trip to Mahagonny! 

Overview

Enter the City of Mahagonny, where the pleasure is all yours – if you’re willing to pay for it. Lose yourself in a desert boomtown built on the foundations of greed and moral corruption.

Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny tells the story of three criminals on the run who find Mahagonny, a city of gold. In a place where absolutely anything goes, everything is permitted and the rules are, there are no rules. The question is, who will get out alive?

Discover the story of Rise and Fall of The City of Mahagonny

Staging & Score

Weill’s musical style in Mahagonny combines opera with the popular music of the time, ragtime and jazz. He mixes the standard orchestra with the banjo and bass guitar, creating a unique yet recognisable sound with the ‘Alabama Song’, which was later recorded by artists including David Bowie and The Doors. Weill’s distinctive melodies form a delicious contrast to libretto written by the playwright Bertolt Brecht.

Singers & Creatives

Leading the cast as the three fugitives, Leokadja Begbick, Trinity Moses and Fatty the Bookkeeper, are Rosie Aldridge, Kenneth Kellogg, and Mark Le Brocq. They will be joined by the internationally renowned Danielle de Niese, who makes a welcome return to ENO as Jenny Smith.

Directing this provocative production is twice Olivier Award-nominated Jamie Manton, and André de Ridder will make his first conducting engagement with ENO since becoming Music Director Designate. The position of Music Director is generously supported by the Philip Loubser Foundation, who also support the ENO Mackerras Conducting Fellowship.

This production has been made possible through the generous support of the Colwinston Charitable Trust, Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc, New York, NY, The English National Opera Trust, Audley Travel and a syndicate comprising Peter Dolgenos, in memory of Katherine R. Zades, Alan McLean, Professor Mick Peake OBE, and an anonymous supporter.

Credits

Kurt Weill
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
Text by Bertolt Brecht
(in collaboration with Elisabeth Hauptmann, Caspar Neher and Weill)*
English translation by Jeremy Sams

*As specified in all publications of the libretto authorized by Brecht and his publishers