Beggar’s Opera

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At Jericho Arts Centre until March 14

Posted March 13, 2014

Adapted from John Gay’s 1728 ‘ballad opera’ by David Newham, with music composed by Daniel Deorksen, this Seven Tyrants Theatre presentation of Beggar’s Opera is, as the opening number claims, like nothing you’ve ever seen. However, if you happen to have seen the premiere of this show at Performance Works back in April 2013, you’ll remember Deorksen as the guitar-playing Beggar, and Phyllis Ho as the violin-playing Player, clowning their way across the stage in whiteface and bowler hats. It was – and still is – a stylish opener to a show that’s all about style.

Not that there isn’t a plot and a good one at that: when pretty Polly Peachum, the daughter of Mr. Peachum, a buyer of stolen goods, marries the thief Macheath, Daddy sees an opportunity to get even richer. Unfortunately, Macheath is a ladies man and has been carrying on with Lucy Locket as well as whores Jenny Diver and Suky Tawdry. Peachum vows to see Macheath hang.

This remount is a distinct improvement over the 2013 production: overall, the performances are stronger, it feels tighter and production values are higher. Audiences are loving it and it’s playing to full houses.

All the music is original – in every sense of the word: it constantly surprises by going where you can’t imagine it going; changes in tempo and style (classic jazz, Tom Waits, Frank Zappa and much more) keep the singers on their toes. Deorksen writes a very good description of his score, divided into ten ‘Fantasias’, in the program notes.

Bertolt Brecht wrote and Kurt Weill scored The Threepenny Opera, also based on Gay’s Beggar’s Opera; the most iconic song from the Threepenny Opera is Mack the Knife, a small bit of which Deorksen has worked into this new score.

Tallulah Winkelman is peachy as Polly Peachum: sweet voiced and innocent in white lace and white gloves. Makeup gives her a little heart-shaped mouth that makes her prim and slightly clownlike. Kayla Deorksen as Lucy, on the other hand, is a hot and saucy tart in a skintight dress. Filch, a servant to the Peachums, is small role but excellently executed by Chris Lam who belts out, “My Name is Filch” in a voiced that would scour your copper-bottom pots to an amber sheen. Linden Banks as Mr. Peachum really embraces the style of the piece: macabre eye makeup, consistent attention to style and a great voice.

Cameron Anderson’s Macheath could afford to be a little more sinister. He’s reminiscent of Michael Scholar Jr. in The Black Rider but not nearly the bad boy Scholar – unforgettably – was. Macheath needs to be the kind of guy that makes you want to lock up your daughters. And your sisters. Possibly your mother.

Totally macabre and new this time around is The Cherub (Brian Knox McGuggan), a half-naked scene announcer in a white loincloth. He delivers the number of each scene – “Fantasia Number Five”, for example – and a brief description about what is about to happen. McGuggan enters from the wings like a white-faced, lipsticked zombie, turns to the audience, speaks his lines as if with his dying breath, turns again and exits. It’s bizarre and I expect you either love it or you don’t.

While Deorksen and Ho are credited with providing the music, many of the performers also play instruments including a saxophone. Deorksen does at least double duty as the guitarist and keyboardist – possibly more. The musicians are mostly in shadow so it’s difficult to say who’s playing what. Suffice it to say this is a multi-talented cast.

Although much improved, there are still elements of this show with which I quibble. Newham doesn’t appear to trust the strength of the story (juicy), the inventiveness of the score (highly) and his own clever adaptation (very). And so he distracts us with enough lighting changes to boggle the eye and silhouettes behind the main action to keep us wondering where we should be looking. While some might see all this as visually stimulating, I think it detracts from the piece and lowers what are otherwise quite high production values.

Beggar’s Opera closes March 14 and has been selling out. “Look out, old Mackie is back”, as the song goes.