History Theatre / TheBeggarsOpera

* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Peachum is obviously based on corrupt police officer Jonathan Wild, and Macheath is based on Jack Sheppard, a repeat prison-escapee who had made a kind of LovableRogue reputation for himself. Peachum mentions an accomplice of his, Bob Booty, who went to prison- this is a reference to crooked politician Robert Walpole.

* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Peachum is obviously based on corrupt police officer Jonathan Wild, and Macheath is based on Jack Sheppard, a repeat prison-escapee who had made a kind of "lovable rogue" reputation for himself. Peachum mentions an accomplice of his, Bob Booty, who went to prison- this is a reference to crooked politician Robert Walpole.

...but the beggar returns to the stage and announces a DeusExMachina reprieve, on the grounds that AnAesop is one thing, but modern audiences insist on a happy ending.

The central character of the opera is Macheath, a [[TheHighwayman highwayman]] by trade and an inveterate [[TheCasanova womanizer]] by personal inclination. When the story begins, he is romancing Polly Peachum, whose father fences stolen goods and arranges matters for his clients when they get in trouble with the law (unless he's making less off their thievery than he would from turning them in for the reward money, in which case he'll do so without hesitation). Peachum is horrified to learn his daughter has married Macheath in secret -- the more so when she professes to have done it for love, without thought of material advancement -- and resolves to get Macheath into the hands of the authorities, but Polly helps him escape. Despite vowing love and fidelity to Polly, Macheath resumes his womanizing, until two of his girlfriends conspire to sell him out to Peachum. Macheath finds himself in jail, facing imminent execution; worse, the jail keeper's daughter, Lucy Lockit, is another ex-girlfriend, to whom he promised marriage before he fell in with Polly Peachum. He manages to persuade Lucy that his recent marriage is a fiction put about by Polly, and she helps him escape (the usual method of bribing his way out having failed, since Peachum and Lockit have united in wanting him safely dead and away from their daughters). Having delivered another round of protestations of love and fidelity, he returns to womanizing once again, until yet another ex-girlfriend sells him out, and he winds up back in prison. This time his time has come, and he is escorted away to the gallows...

The central character of the opera is Macheath, a [[TheHighwayman highwayman]] by trade and an inveterate womanizer by personal inclination. When the story begins, he is romancing Polly Peachum, whose father fences stolen goods and arranges matters for his clients when they get in trouble with the law (unless he's making less off their thievery than he would from turning them in for the reward money, in which case he'll do so without hesitation). Peachum is horrified to learn his daughter has married Macheath in secret -- the more so when she professes to have done it for love, without thought of material advancement -- and resolves to get Macheath into the hands of the authorities, but Polly helps him escape. Despite vowing love and fidelity to Polly, Macheath resumes his womanizing, until two of his girlfriends conspire to sell him out to Peachum. Macheath finds himself in jail, facing imminent execution; worse, the jail keeper's daughter, Lucy Lockit, is another ex-girlfriend, to whom he promised marriage before he fell in with Polly Peachum. He manages to persuade Lucy that his recent marriage is a fiction put about by Polly, and she helps him escape (the usual method of bribing his way out having failed, since Peachum and Lockit have united in wanting him safely dead and away from their daughters). Having delivered another round of protestations of love and fidelity, he returns to womanizing once again, until yet another ex-girlfriend sells him out, and he winds up back in prison. This time his time has come, and he is escorted away to the gallows...

The central character of the opera is Macheath, a highwayman by trade and an inveterate womanizer by personal inclination. When the story begins, he is romancing Polly Peachum, whose father fences stolen goods and arranges matters for his clients when they get in trouble with the law (unless he's making less off their thievery than he would from turning them in for the reward money, in which case he'll do so without hesitation). Peachum is horrified to learn his daughter has married Macheath in secret -- the more so when she professes to have done it for love, without thought of material advancement -- and resolves to get Macheath into the hands of the authorities, but Polly helps him escape. Despite vowing love and fidelity to Polly, Macheath resumes his womanizing, until two of his girlfriends conspire to sell him out to Peachum. Macheath finds himself in jail, facing imminent execution; worse, the jail keeper's daughter, Lucy Lockit, is another ex-girlfriend, to whom he promised marriage before he fell in with Polly Peachum. He manages to persuade Lucy that his recent marriage is a fiction put about by Polly, and she helps him escape (the usual method of bribing his way out having failed, since Peachum and Lockit have united in wanting him safely dead and away from their daughters). Having delivered another round of protestations of love and fidelity, he returns to womanizing once again, until yet another ex-girlfriend sells him out, and he winds up back in prison. This time his time has come, and he is escorted away to the gallows...

Other adaptations include a film made in 1953 by Peter Brook and starring Creator/LaurenceOlivier (it was the only musical he made during his movie career, but he considered it an OldShame, though); ''Speakeasy'', a 1998 Creator/TakarazukaRevue production; ''The Villains' Opera'', a 2000 National Theatre production with a SettingUpdate to modern times; and ''The Convict's Opera'', a 2008 Australian ballad musical about a group of convicts putting on a production of ''The Beggar's Opera'' (which is included, somewhat abridged, as a ShowWithinAShow).

* HangingAround: How Macheath and the other villains are set to be PubliclyExecuted.

* HangingAround: At the end of 'the play, Macheath now finds that [[spoiler:four more pregnant women each claim him as their husband.]] He declares that he is ready to be hanged. The narrator (the Beggar), notes that although in a properly moral ending [[spoiler:Macheath and the other villains]] would be hanged, the audience demands a happy ending, and so [[spoiler:Macheath]] is reprieved, and all are invited to a dance of celebration, to celebrate Macheath's wedding to Polly. Some stagings, however, have the Beggar making his pronouncement about the need for a happy ending and totally failing to notice [[spoiler:Macheath]] actually being hanged in the background.

Other adaptations include a film made in 1953 by Peter Brook and starring Creator/LaurenceOlivier (it was the only musical he made during his movie career, but the man himself considered it an OldShame, though); ''Speakeasy'', a 1998 Creator/TakarazukaRevue production; ''The Villains' Opera'', a 2000 National Theatre production with a SettingUpdate to modern times; and ''The Convict's Opera'', a 2008 Australian ballad musical about a group of convicts putting on a production of ''The Beggar's Opera'' (which is included, somewhat abridged, as a ShowWithinAShow).

Other adaptations include a film made in 1953 by Peter Brook and starring Creator/LaurenceOlivier (it was the only musical he made during his movie career); ''Speakeasy'', a 1998 Creator/TakarazukaRevue production; ''The Villains' Opera'', a 2000 National Theatre production with a SettingUpdate to modern times; and ''The Convict's Opera'', a 2008 Australian ballad musical about a group of convicts putting on a production of ''The Beggar's Opera'' (which is included, somewhat abridged, as a ShowWithinAShow).

Other adaptations include ''Speakeasy'', a 1998 Creator/TakarazukaRevue production; ''The Villains' Opera'', a 2000 National Theatre production with a SettingUpdate to modern times; and ''The Convict's Opera'', a 2008 Australian ballad musical about a group of convicts putting on a production of ''The Beggar's Opera'' (which is included, somewhat abridged, as a ShowWithinAShow).

Other adaptations include ''Speakeasy'', a 1998 {{Takarazuka}} production; ''The Villains' Opera'', a 2000 National Theatre production with a SettingUpdate to modern times; and ''The Convict's Opera'', a 2008 Australian ballad musical about a group of convicts putting on a production of ''The Beggar's Opera'' (which is included, somewhat abridged, as a ShowWithinAShow).

** Filch: A young thief.

* {{Casanova}}: Macheath. He loves women, he says at one point, but expecting him to be happy with one is like expecting a man who loves money to be happy with one coin.

''The Beggar's Opera'' was a massive success for its author, for its stars, and for the producer, John Rich; it was famously said that it made Gay rich and Rich [[HaveAGayOldTime gay]]. It inspired many imitations and adaptations, most famous nowadays being the German musical ''TheThreepennyOpera'', which debuted in 1928, ''The Beggar's Opera''[='=]s bicentennial year.