The Beggar's Opera - Open Air

The Beggar's Opera

The famous comedic anti-opera from John Gay makes its way to the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park in 2011 more than 280 years since it was first seen by audiences in the United Kingdom. It is a story that has become enormously popular in the years since ink was first set to paper and, though it is a send-up of the popular form of Italian opera of the time, has become one of the most successful pieces of its time. So as it arrives in London once again, this time as part of an Open Air season that includes Crazy For You by George and Ira Gershwin and Lord Of The Flies by William Golding.

“The Beggar’s Opera” is a story of lies and deception as we follow a highwayman and the punishments served by his lovers. From the heroine of the piece Polly Peachum and her foe Lucy Lockit, plus the man that they both love, highwayman Macheath, we witness a story that includes a web of lies and ultimately the fate of Macheath beneath the gallows in Tyburn. The comic story became so renowned during its revival of the 1920s that it became the longest-running theatre production of that time.

And directing this version is the acclaimed Lucy Bailey, whose distinctive style is certain to translate well to the beats of John Gay’s text. Bailey has been behind a host of productions across the capital and has worked alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and Hollywood star Val Kilmer during her career, with credits such as “The Postman Always Rings Twice” at the Playhouse Theatre (with Kilmer), “Julius Caesar” for the RSC, “Timon of Athens” for Shakespeare’s Globe and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for the Royal Exchange Theatre.

So London theatre audiences are in for a treat with the upcoming production as they follow in the footsteps of audiences at previous productions at Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theatre (1728) and the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith (1920). It is likely to be an unforgettable run for the classic anti-opera.

The Beggar’s Opera makes its anticipated appearance at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park from Tuesday 28th June 2011 (previews from Thursday 23rd June 2011) to Saturday 23rd July 2011.