This article sets out to address some of the questions relating to translation/adaptation/“versions of versions of versions” (Simon Stephens), as exemplified in three recent productions of Brecht plays. Particular attention is paid to Stephens's “version” of The Threepenny Opera staged at the National Theatre in 2016. A similar approach to the translating of a major play text is also noticeable in two Australian productions of Brecht plays, where the “translator” also presumes to “improve” on the original author's staging, textual and characterization choices.