This story is about an 18th-century ballad opera called "The Beggar's Opera," which is playing for the second weekend at the University Theatre.
It's a jolly ole show with more than its fair share of roguish highwaymen and damsels, most of whom aren't particularly in distress.
The opera was written by John Gay and updated in the 20th century by Benjamin Britten. It is a burlesque of more maudlin operas.
The main characters are the Peachums, a family of thieves and whores.
Mr. Peachum, played by Kenneth Church, seems genteel, but he's really an expert pickpocket. He's a scoundrel, but he's also devoted to his daughter and wife.
Mrs. Peachum (Deborah Day) is graciously evil, for she sweetly tells Mr.
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Peachum, "You know, my dear, I never meddle in matters of death. I leave that to you."
When she's not pickpocketing or conniving with her husband, Mrs. Peachum is usually reprimanding her daughter, Polly (Stephanie Vlahos), about some imagined sin. She's always calling Polly a slut or a hussy.
But Polly is no slut or hussy. She emerges from this family as "normal," much like the niece of "The Munsters," a 1960s television sitcom.
All of the action takes place on a stage with ropes, stone stairs and open ceilings with low-hanging sheets, creating a merry, musty England effect. It all adds to the pun.
The action begins at 8 p.m. and runs through March 15, Tickets are $4.50 on Thursday and $7.50 on Friday and Saturday.
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2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education