The Tiger Lillies: One Penny Opera review

John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera has been adapted many times over the years, the most popular incarnation probably being Brecht and Weill’s The Threepenny Opera. The Tiger Lillies’ version pares the story right down, in essence creating a songcycle that showcases their unique sound and style. Here, the action takes place in the dark heart of Soho, where Macheath is the son of an abusive and murderous father and so the cycle continues. For Macheath, murder is better than sex, which probably explains why he is unable to commit to a single woman.

It may have been 25 years since the award-winning Shockheaded Peter, but One Penny Opera seems a pale shadow in comparison. Founder Martyn Jacques brings a nihilistic atmosphere to an already bleak story, his haunting falsetto repeating phrases with the vehemence of a frenzied knife attack. It’s weirdly beautiful, especially when accompanied by the strains of a saw or the wheeze of the accordion.

As ever, Jacques is accompanied by Budi Butenop on percussion and Adrian Stout on everything else from the jaw harp to the theremin and the band’s signature punk-folk sound suits the material. The three performers barely engage with each other to forward the narrative, but the carefully conceived friction between Stout and Jacques is always good value. However, there’s little of anything new given to the story here. The scatological references have shock value, but this adaptation doesn’t really move the legend forward. It’s dark, yes, and subversive, but it lacks that visceral eeriness of their earlier work.