John Gay
The Beggar’s Opera
This production toured to ten theatres nationwide with eleven performances. Before the start of John Gay's satirical ballad opera, the Beggar and the Player introduce the piece. The Beggar explains that the piece is truly an opera; though in contrast to a normal opera, it has no recitative and it is not "unnatural." The Player concludes their witty dialogue with "Play away the overture!"; and they do. Gay's "The Beggar's Opera" explores a cast of eccentric characters navigating through times of love, lust, and deceit. In the end, the Beggar ensures a happy ending, “in the interest of operatic convention”.
10 Venue Tour
| Fri 2 Feb | Armagh | The Market Place, Armagh Theatre & Arts Centre |
| Tue 6 Feb & Wed 7 Feb | Dublin | The O'Reilly Theatre, Belvedere College |
| Wed 14 Feb | Dundalk | Town Hall |
| Fri 16 Feb | Derry | Rialto Theatre |
| Wed 21 Feb | Mullingar | Arts Centre |
| Fri 23 Feb | Enniskillen | Ardhowen Theatre |
| Wed 28 Feb | Galway | Town Hall Theatre |
| Fri 2 March | Tralee | Siamsa Tire |
| Wed 7 March | Cork | Everyman |
| Fri 9 March | Kilkenny | Watergate Theatre |
Production Information
Cast |
|
| The Beggar | Sean O Tarpaigh |
| Mrs Peachum | Colette Mc Gahon |
| Mr Peachum | John Mine |
| Polly Peachum | Kathleen Tynan |
| Macheath | Hal Cazalet |
| Filch | Eugene Ginty |
| Lockit | Sam Mc Elroy |
| Lucy Lockit | Catherine Hegarty |
| Mrs Trapes | Victoria Massey |
| Jenny Diver | Maggie Killian |
Understudy |
|
| Lockit | Andrew Redmond |
Creative Team |
|
| Conductor | Brian Mac Kay |
| Director | Sean O Tarpaigh |
| Designer | Paul Mc Cauley |
| Lighting Designer | Paul Keogan |
| Choreographer | Caimin Collins |
| Repetiteur | Dearbhla Collins |
