With two and a bit hours of gloriously aggressive assaults to the senses; Kneehigh don’t fail to disappoint as they smash into HOME with their retelling of John Gay’s ‘The Beggars Opera’. True to form, it’s Kneehigh’s good old singing and dancing with a solid sprinkle of bawdiness, a few puppets, cross-dressing, colourful language and a couple of willies thrown in for good measure. The performers spurt pure vocal and musical gold, with standout prowling from the hilariously deranged Mrs Peachum whose bafflingly energetic performance brings to mind Cher, Mrs Lovett and my Auntie after a bottle of Pernod. However, this opera ain’t forgetting it’s Brechtian roots; the play crashes to a graphic, unsettling halt which sits uncomfortably with the toe tapping sordid sexiness of its preceding acts, a conclusion which menacingly disperses the lingering darkness that's been trapped in the floating noose the whole time.
Would I go see it again? Absolutely, do you want to go? Yes? Let’s mash it.
Spoiler alert. It doesn’t end well for the dog.
4/5
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