The Beggar’s Opera written by John Gay was the
forerunner of today’s musicals. It was the first musical
show to mix dialogue with songs. The Beggar’s Opera
opened at Lincoln’s Inn Fields on 28th January 1728. It
ran for 62 performances over the season – a record for
the time.
John
Rich, the manager of the theatre (who had been reluctant
to stage the play), made so much money from the production
that
he was able to build a new theatre in Covent Garden. This was
the forerunner of today’s Royal
Opera House.
The popularity of The Beggar’s Opera was due
both to the clever use of familiar tunes and because the main
characters were ordinary people with whom the audience could
identify. Gay borrowed all the music from popular songs of
the
time, including broadside ballads, folk tunes and well-known
arias by composers like Handel.
The play was a
satire on politics, poverty and injustice. It also satirised Italian
Dramatic Opera which
was popular in London at that time. The central moral of
the
play was that corruption permeates all walks of society.
Actress Lavinia Fenton, the first Polly Peachum, became a big
star and a substantial trade in mementoes and souvenirs grew
up around her. In 1729, at the peak of her career, she ran off
with the Duke of Bolton. They did not marry until after the
death of his first wife 23 years later.
Listen to two songs from The Beggar's Opera
Burlesques
D’Oyly Carte Collaboration
