Operatic low-life from the 1700s

Jun 11 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

A PRODUCTION of The Beggar’s Opera is currently on the Liverpool stage.

The original play was written in 1728 by John Gay, a friend of Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope and was a satirical piece inspired by discussions between the three.

The cast of 20 amateur singers and actors and small live band from the Dingle Community Theatre and the Keyhole Theatre are bringing the show back to life in its latest guise.

Tom McLennan of Dingle Community Theatre said: “The Beggars’ Opera broke all box-office records of its day.

“Its humorous take on the lives of highwaymen, thieves, pickpockets, fences and whores, as well as its cutting satire on the corruption of the day, was lapped up by all sections of society, high and low, and the songs in the play became firm popular favourites.

“The play’s influence has continued down the years, inspiring writers such as Bertolt Brecht who wrote a modern version, The Threepenny Opera, which featured the well-known song Mac the Knife.”

Ann Bates, who is co-ordinating the show, said: “The hero is a womanising highwayman and the chorus are all whores and highwaymen, set against the world of high opera. It is really something different.”

The Beggars’ Opera is on at the Unity Theatre until Saturday.