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WOS Theatregoers Don’t Go Begging at Meet & Greet

Last night (4 July), with its clear blue skies and balmy temperatures, couldn’t have been better for our Whatsonstage.com Outing to The Beggar’s Opera at Regent’s Park Open Air. With many of our 110 theatregoers arriving early to enjoy their picnics and wine in our buntinged-off area there was lots of chatting and mingling as we whiled away the hour and a half before performance time.

A cleverly designed set which uses a giant cask, carts, chains and hangman’s nooses to create the scene for this 1728 parody opera fits in perfectly on the outdoor stage and this comedy of highwaymen, hangmen and harlots seems just the right piece for a warm summer’s evening. A bawdy, romping delight which exposes the moral and financial corruption of the time with a good smattering of musical, physical and spoken comedy this is an evening with fantastically choreographed fights, debauched card games, flying cups, splashing strong waters and even a little romance.

Following this really entertaining performance, and just as the evening darkened and cooled Whatsonstage.com theatregoers made their way to the studio room where they were met with wine and crisps before being joined by members of the cast and director Lucy Bailey. The cast talked about working for the Open Air, many of them still students, while Bailey give us some insight into the end sequence – which was certainly a surprise for me!

Please do feel free to email your comments and thoughts about the play, as well as any photos you have of the event and the evening through to feedback@whatsonstage.com, we love to hear from you.

Thanks for joining us for this event, and do check the homepage to keep up to date on all of our upcoming Outings.

Laura Norman