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The Beggar's Opera (2011)

23 June – 23 July

By John Gay

Discover the innocent but feisty heroine Polly Peachum, her wronged rival Lucy Lockit and Macheath, their irrepressible highwayman lover, as a tangled web of lies and deceit blissfully unravels. Deep in London’s underworld, this comedy of highwaymen, hangmen and harlots is an uncompromising exposure of moral and financial corruption.
The Beggar's Opera (2011)

The cast

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Creative team

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Reviews

WhatsOnStage

"A remarkable evening" "...Jasper Britton and Phil Daniels are quality casting..." "a wonderfully Hogarthian production"

The Guardian

"Jasper Britton and Phil Daniels offer outstanding portraits of twin social predators" "...delightful…"

The Times

“the energy and wit of it scorch the night air...inspired...John Gay’s lowlife brilliantly reborn..."

The Sunday Times

"The strength of Lucy Bailey's production is that it creates a Hogarthian portrait of money-grabbing 18th-Century London." "Brilliant designs"

The Daily Mail

"Beggars are a bawdy breath of fresh air" "...ingenious touches..." "(Beverly) Rudd is terrific"

Sunday Telegraph

"...immaculate production...it boasts David Caves, a star of rare if not startling charisma."

Time Out

"the tears, fears and recriminations of this underworld soap opera are as salty and raucous as ever in this roiling Hogarthian spectacle"

The Independent

"Mingling caustic commentary with creative zest, the production ends with a coup de theatre that's the last work in gallows humour."

Mail on Sunday

"A Hogarth cartoon teeming with life...splendidly acted and filled with loveable baddies and lovely tunes, the show has a lot to sing about"

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