Memoirs of the Celebrated Mrs Woffington: Convicts, Ahoy!

Thursday 22 January 2009

Convicts, Ahoy!

The wonderful Out of Joint has just embarked on a UK tour of its 're-imagined' version of John Gay's The Beggar’s Opera: a co-production with Sydney Theatre Company. Called The Convict’s Opera, it keeps the 18th-century underworld setting, though moves it to a convict ship where inmates are ordered to stage a show. Georgian hits such as Over the Hills and Far Away are replaced with modern classics like Sailing and You’re So Vain. I saw Out of Joint's 2002 double-bill of She Stoops to Conquer and April De Angelis's A Laughing Matter, and if it's anywhere near as good as those, it should be a riot. The tour dates are here.

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...: I'm sure the show will be great but why do they have to change the music? I can't seriously believe that some retro-ditty by Rod Stewart is going to be a patch on "Lumps of Pudding", "Cease Your Funning" or even "Tom Tinker's My True Love".; 22 January 2009 at 10:50
Mrs Woffington said...: Yes, I'm a bit of a purist myself, but I can't see them getting bums on seats with Lumps of Pudding - such is modern life. :); 22 January 2009 at 12:09
Anonymous said...: (Homer Simpson voice)Mmmmm...lumps of pudding...; 22 January 2009 at 12:17

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Who was Mrs Woffington?

Virtually forgotten today, Margaret Woffington (also known as Peg or Peggy) would rise from humble origins to become one of Georgian London’s most famous actresses, sharing the stage with the likes of David Garrick and excelling in so-called ‘breeches roles’. Born around the year 1720 in Dublin, her childhood years were marred by the death of her father, which plunged her family into poverty. Having reputedly sold watercress barefoot in the streets of the Irish capital, she was soon talent-spotted by a tumbler known as Violante, who staged populist entertainments in booths around the city. Violante had a troupe of child actors called the Liliputians, and before long Woffington was making her debut as Polly Peachum in their version of The Beggar’s Opera. Moving to London, she gained plaudits for both her outstanding beauty and her talent – particularly in comedy – appearing at both Covent Garden and Drury Lane. Known for her quick wit and no-nonsense attitude, she had high-profile affairs with Garrick, Lord Darnley and Charles Hanbury Williams; she was also a generous benefactor, supporting her elderly mother and may even have endowed some almshouses in Teddington, where she had settled at the height of her success. She died, unmarried, in 1760, having suffered a long wasting illness, and is buried in Teddington's parish church of St Mary’s.

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