"The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny"

Kurt Weill’s 1930 political satire, a follow-up to ‘‘The Threepenny Opera,’’ tells the story of three criminals who create their own city where money rules and vice is the order of the day. Weill’s haunting, eclectic score ranges from classical counterpoint to feel-good ragtime, and the work is considered one of the hallmarks of 20th-century opera. While there’s no song quite as popular as ‘‘Mack the Knife,’’ from ‘‘Threepenny,’’ artists from the Doors to David Bowie have covered ‘‘Alabama Song.’’ The opera was banned by the Nazis (no surprise), and Opera Boston’s fully staged production this weekend marks the first in Boston in more than 30 years. Gil Rose conducts; Sam Helfrich directs; and Joyce Castle and Amy Burton lead an accomplished cast.

KAREN CAMPBELL