Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

As the play opens, we are watching the final scene of John Gay's Beggar's Opera, performed by the members of the Pendon Amateur Light Opera Society.

Beggar's Opera is a satirical play with music written by John Gay and first performed in 1728. It tells the story of a petty thief named MacHeath, married to one woman and engaged to another, betrayed for money in prison, condemned to death, and eventually reprieved. It was a satire on the political and moral system of the time and has been both critically and popularly successful ever since.

At center stage is Guy Jones, playing MacHeath, surrounded by other actors playing parts in Beggar's Opera, all of whom will be individually identified later. They sing the final song, dance the final dance, and form the final tableau. The lights change to indicate the curtain has...