John Gay's 18th-century
Beggar's Opera has been called a precursor to the
modern musical as well as directly influencing various adaptations - most famously
The Threepenny Opera. Brecht and Weill's version is about to get revived at
the National, so whether that's good or bad timing for a new rewrite remains to be
seen. Dougal Irvine's
The Buskers OperaSHOULD THERE BE AN APOSTROPHE IN THERE
SOMEWHERE OR ARE YOU TRYING TO USE "OPERA" AS A VERB?* references its predecessors
in its opening number, in a self-referential style that will become typical of the
rest of the evening: Macheath (George Maguire) is a former
X Factor
contestant kicked out at Boot Camp because of his temper, and now films himself
singing anti-establishment songs and posts them on a fairly successful YouTube
channel.
