ROBERT LEPAGE

[busk·er (plural busk·ers), noun, U.K. street musician or entertainer: somebody who entertains in the street or a public place in the hope of receiving money from passers-by]

The Beggar’s Opera was first performed in London on January 29, 1728. At once a satire of government corruption and a parody of then fashionable Italian opera, John Gay’s comic play with songs touched a deep chord in his audience. The characters were drawn from the hierarchy of the criminal underworld. For nearly 300 years, The Beggar’s Opera has enjoyed enduring success with its public, and it has inspired many adaptations, most notably The Three Penny Opera, written by Bertolt Brecht with music by Kurt Weill.

The show has been created by director Robert Lepage and a group of 10 performing artists comprised of actors, musicians, singers and a DJ. They have composed more than 30 new songs as well as reinvented Gay’s classic story for today’s audience. In The Busker’s Opera, however, the characters do not belong to the criminal underworld, but rather to the underworld of the music industry.

Like its source, The Busker’s Opera begins in London, but the show quickly embarks on a Trans-Atlantic journey, first landing in New York and then traveling south through Atlantic City and New Orleans before arriving at its final destination, Huntsville, Texas, home to one of the principal capital punishment centers in the U.S..

Throughout this satirical and often playful journey, many musical styles are explored: Ska, Reggae, Jazz, the Broadway/West End Show Tune, Rock, the Blues, Country, Tango, Disco, Rap and more. The Busker’s Opera concerns itself with the artistic freedom that remains after the steamroller of the music industry has driven by.

PRODUCTION DATES
Milan, Italy, Piccolo Teatro Strehler, 6 - 10 April 2005