Polly (The Heartbreak Opera) – Pleasance Theatre
Sharp Teeth Theatre and Marie Hamilton resurrect an age-old play and story, adding their own chatmates of satire, camp, and 18 original songs! Prepare to get bedazzled at the sheer variety of characters, costume changes and diversity of pitches four women belt out on stage. It's an impressive labour of love that evokes pathos, laughter and disdain for the bedfellows of patriarchy and imperialism.
The first half paints the sordid picture of how women are treated, the petty fights between women to hold power, male attention and position. At points, the background score music is overarching the performers, and at some points, the different scales need to be heard clearly. The first half of the play probably stays truthful to the 1729 John Gay's banned sequel to The Beggar's Opera, '...