THE BEGGAR'S OPERA - "HOW CRUEL ARE THE TRAITORS"

The Beggar's Opera was the work that changed the course of theater music in England, and drove Handel from the stage. A bitter but hilarious satire of the class struggle in the 18th century, it was actually a pastiche, with a musical score cobbled together from popular music of the day, and arranged by Johann Pepusch. It is ironic that some of Handel's own music made his future operas passé. The songs are short, but the score contains 69 of them.

Lucy (Diane McEwen-Martin), daughter of Lockit the Jailer, is with child by MacHeath (Glenn Perry), and berates him for infidelity to her. MacHeath sweet talks his way back into her heart, hoping she will help him escape prison. Later, Lockit (Don Regan) and Peachum (George Valenta) have a falling out over the money to be made from MacHeath's execution. Lucy begs Lockit to release the Captain, but Lockit merely instructs her to "go moan over your dying husband, like a good wife." Songs: "How Cruel Are the Traitors," "When You Censure the Age," "Twang, Dang, Dillo, Dee." Although the songs were originally arranged by Johann Christopher Pepusch, for our production we used the new period-styled arrangements by Jonathan Dobin: www.beggarsopera.org. For more comic operas and operettas, visit comicoperaguild.org

Category:

Music

Tags:

• HOW CRUEL ARE THE TRAITORS
• THE BEGGAR'S OPERA
• THE COMIC OPERA GUILD
• DONALD REGAN
• GEORGE VALENTA
• DIANE MCEWEN-MARTIN
• GLENN PERRY
• OPERA