Entertainment

Manhattan School of Music delivers a smart, sassy ‘Mahagonny

The fresh faces of Manhattan School of Music’s student singers stared down a city of sin Thursday night in “Mahagonny,” about the rise and fall of a lawless town in a fantasy America battered by jazz and hurricanes.

Kurt Weill’s eclectic 1930 score, ranging from atonalism to pop classics like “The Alabama Song,” inspired assured performances from Kynan Johns’ orchestra and the student cast, notably tenor Aaron Short. As the Everyman hero, Jimmy Mahoney, Short pumped out high, ranting lines with the stamina of a budding heldentenor and acted with quiet intensity — even in the bizarre final scene, when Jimmy is sent to the electric chair for an unpaid bar tab.

As the gangsters who run Mahagonny, bass-baritone James Ioelu and Peter Tinaglia, strong as they were, played backup to mezzo Rachelle Pike as the conniving madam Leocadia Begbick. A permanent sneer and a weapons-grade chest voice defined her as the toughest thug in town.

Though Cree Carrico’s cheerful soprano sounded a little ladylike for Jenny, the enigmatic hooker, she delivered a spunky performance of Bertolt Brecht’s German lyrics.

While Dona D. Vaughn’s respectful staging had this city looking more downmarket bed and breakfast than hotbed of corruption, the harsh message was clear. Mahagonny’s motto, “Do whatever you like,” is as much a recipe for disaster today as it was 83 years ago.