A production of The Threepenny Opera from Berliner Ensemble comes with a weight of expectation. Founded in 1949 by Brecht himself, the company has a unique relationship to his work. The script itself is small in scale but large in ambition, grounded in cabaret and providing several of Brecht and composer Kurt Weill’s most famous songs; meanwhile, the direction of Barrie Kosky isolates the characters against a mobile, complex and layered scenography. Towering over the cast, a network of tables, ladders and platforms isolates those performers, speaking of social systems that contain and direct their misadventures.

Most strikingly, Brecht’s pessimism and cynicism come across in a series of strong performances. The scale of this production may ultimately undermine the precision of Brecht’s script, but those songs (not least the iconic ‘Die Moritat Von Mackie Messer’ aka ‘Mack The Knife’) are allowed a stark and direct rendition that articulates the anti-heroic central figure Mackie’s self-serving but politically astute philosophy and the hold of sexual obsession.

The piece’s strength remains in its script and music, with dramaturgy that is functional and allows the show to speak for itself. Some of the narrative’s urgency does get a little lost, tending towards a triumphant display of heritage rather than the vibrant and politically engaged rough style that made Brecht so influential.

The Threepenny Opera, Festival Theatre, 19 August, 7.30pm, 20 August, 5pm.