Only Beggars Will Understand

What does a satirical play written in 1728 have to bear upon our modern society? Though the times may change, corruption, bribery, sex and scandal are still rife, and continue to fascinate. The significance of The Beggar’s Opera is considerable; it was the basis for Brecht’s Threepenny Opera, a scathing Marxist critique of the capitalist world, and has enjoyed many other incarnations throughout its history. Its latest revival comes from Vanishing Point, a company that creates new theatre for modern audiences. The specific objects of the play’s satire are now dead and gone and times have changed. Matthew Lenton, director of the project, expresses a lack of interest in these anachronisms, rather finding new meaning in their figurative ancestors, who remain in many guises. He gives examples of these as being particularly applicable, gesturing towards those MPs who screw the tax system at the same time as promising to root out benefit fraudsters amongst the working classes.

In the darkly comedic prison scene of Gay’s original, the richer inmates can buy themselves lighter chains. It doesn’t stretch the imagination too far to compare this to corruption in modern prisons, where wealthy inmates can buy themselves better treatment. Whilst these specifics aren’t going to be worked into the show, they instead act as fuel for its creation.

The Beggar’s Opera exhibits characters that are equally corrupt, regardless of class, gender or profession. Mr Peachum, fence and thief-catcher, compares himself to a lawyer, both using the talents of profitable thieves, whilst selling the unprofitable thieves to the authorities. Mrs Peachum acts as almost a Lady Macbeth figure, driving her husband onto success at whatever cost. There is no room for love in this vision, rather it must fit into the economy of exchange and profit. What is presented is a world where everything is up for sale. Consider the creation of the Internet, with sites like Ebay, this becomes more relevant than ever.

The comparison between The Beggar’s Opera and graphic novels may be an unlikely one, but it's something Lenton cites as being important, particularly in the setting of the play. Corruption in the city is a clear concern in The Beggar’s Opera, and you only have to look at Sin City and Batman to observe an enduring obsession with the degeneration of society, and the lengths people will go to for survival and success. Alan Moore, writer of V for Vendetta and Watchmen sets his stories in a fictional time, which gives his imagination room to take flight. He’s not talking about the future, rather the fictional setting provides a reflection or correlation with our time.

The audience can engage with them on the level of fantasy, whilst some points can sink home if people are looking for them. Similarly, Vanishing Point have set their interpretation of The Beggar’s Opera in an imagined future, more absurd, seedy and dark than ever, which gives them the option of observing certain trends and injustices in our society, and imagining what might happen to those things when exacerbated. The creation of these extreme environments can push stories to their limits, whilst allowing the creative team in the rehearsal room the freedom to speculate.

The central figure of MacHeath is one that is still evolving in the rehearsal room with Vanishing Point, but Lenton’s current conception of him is easily recognisable to a modern audience. Flawed and complex, he exhibits traits of both hero and anti-hero. He puts on a mask and acts with great panache and bravado, initially managing to evade capture. "There is something pseudo heroic and mythical about that kind of infamy’ muses Lenton, "like Rorschach in Watchmen". However, without that mask, he’s a much weaker character, revealing all of his flaws.

The fusion of eighteenth century perspicacity with modern concerns is sure to be a productive relationship. Lenton defines the play as being about ‘the feral nature of human kind and the need or desire that drive us to corruption’, suggesting a timeless quality of the malfeasance implicit in our society.

Whilst technological advances have expanded exponentially, the characters of Gay’s original satire remain. It’s about what people have done, and will continue to do to survive.