Bertolt Brecht in LA

I would have never guessed fifteen years ago when I was introduced to his plays, that one day Bertolt Brecht and I would share the Hollywood experience. Of course, there are a few minor details that separate us, such as fame and the urgency that propelled him into this kind of life. But let's just say ... I can relate.

For the German playwright of The Threepenny Opera the aphorism "it's a small world" never rang truer. Brecht's socio-critical and highly satirical writings made him a favorite enemy of the National Socialists in pre-war Germany. In 1933 he was forced out of the country by the...