Dead Dog in a Suitcase (And Other Love Songs) A New Beggar’s Opera
Relaxed Performance – Story Guide
Monday 9 February at 2pm The Sainsbury Theatre, LAMDA
Running Time: 2 hours 5 minutes (plus an interval)
Content warnings: Death, violence, strong language, animal death. Themes: murder, grief, hanging, corruption, pregnancy, suicide, abandonment, betrayal.
KEY POINTS
• You are welcome to leave and re-enter from the theatre as you need.
• There is a break-out area available in The Rittner Room - look out for signage before the show or ask a Front of House member for directions.
• House lighting is on low throughout.
• Loud noises are reduced.
• Strobes or flashing lights are slowed down.
• You are welcome to react to the show however you want.
• This pack contains a show synopsis and sensory guide highlighting potentially challenging or sudden moments.
Arriving at LAMDA
When you arrive at LAMDA, the box office is to your right. You should pick up your ticket here, using your name.
Toilets are located right next to box office.
LAMDA staff will be wearing LAMDA branded T-Shirts or lanyards. If you need any assistance whilst in the building, please ask them.
This is the Theatre Foyer. You may be asked to wait here until the house is open.
This performance will take place in the Sainsbury Theatre.
This is one of the entrances.
When you enter, an usher will take your ticket from you. You can sit in any seat.
There is a break-out space called ‘The Rittner Room’ which you are welcome to use at any point during your visit. It can be accessed via the stairs or lift in the main entrance foyer.
If you aren’t sure about any of this information during your visit please ask an usher or anybody wearing a lanyard.
Before the show begins, the actors will introduce themselves and the characters they are playing.
The lights in the theatre will dim and she show will start. You can leave and re-enter if you need to through the doors you came in through.
At the end of the show the actors will come on and bow. You are welcome to clap at this point if you would like.
Company Headshots
Synopsis
Below is a brief synopsis of the play to aid in contextualizing the following sensory guide.
Mayor Goodman has been assassinated.
Contract killer Macheath has just married Pretty
Polly Peachum and they plan to escape to a better world – but they aren't going anywhere.
Not if pickled pilchard, hair gel and concrete
tycoon Les Peachum and his wife have anything to do with it. See, they aren't happy with their daughter marrying Macheath. Not one bit.
Before the day is out Macheath will face the hangman's noose and much more besides. All the while, the dogs are howling, the pier is creaking, the babes are crying, the concrete is cracking and the truth won't stay hidden for much longer…
Here is a guide to sensory information symbols in this document:
Below is a sensory guide for the performance that shows potential distressing actions in the play, split up by scenes
PRE-SHOW
The characters get the stage ready. Punch and Judy interact with the audience.
Joey The Monkey looks for his bananas amongst the audience. Joey sometimes makes loud noises.
ACT 1
Overture
No distressing content
The Assassination
Joey The Monkey makes loud noises. Punch hands Macheath a fake gun. Macheath shoots Toby The Dog and Mayor Goodman.
The Proposal
No distressing content
The Revelation
No distressing content
The Wedding
Joey The Monkey and Filch fight. Joey makes loud noises and pushes Filch from side to side before throwing him to the ground, jumping on him, and biting his nose.
Lockit shouts and fires his gun into the air. Punch makes gun noises with his mouth.
The Widow In The World
No distressing content
The Decision
Judy hits Macheath repeatedly throughout the scene with a pool noodle.
The True Face Of The Peachums
Mrs Peachum beats up Filch as punishment in slow motion
Lockit's Office
No distressing content
The Radical Widow
Punch announces an air horn before it sounds
Homecoming
No distressing content
The Myth of Macheath
During Lucy’s song there are loud, sudden noises (hitting drums).
Everything & Nothing No distressing content
Interval (15 minutes)------
The Slammerkin
Lockit punches Macheath out cold.
The City In Wide Shot
No distressing content
The Prison
No distressing content
The Mayor's First Motion
No distressing content
The Prison Again
Lucy grabs Terry The Jailor and forces him to unlock a complex series of locks.
The Terrible Wrath Of Lucy Lockit
No distressing content
The Ocean In Her Eyes
Stylised depiction of suicide by drowning: Polly steps off the stage and disappears. Blue confetti is thrown in the air like water.
The Cracking
No distressing content
The Hideout
No distressing content
The Black And Broken Heart Of Polly Peachum
No distressing content
Lucy Vs Lockit
Domestic violence by a parent: Lockit slaps Lucy three times.
Macheath grabs Lockit, hits him and knocks him out.
The Betrayal Of Macheath (not read out by Punch)
The gang point guns at Macheath.
Polly puts a knife against Macheath's throat.
The Hanging
Terry is tricked into being executed by hanging
Mrs Peachum points a fake machine gun at Widow Goodman, Polly and other characters. She screams and mimes firing it wildly. Judy makes machine gun noises with her mouth.
At end of song, Macheath points a fake gun at his own head and mimes firing it and killing himself. He falls to the ground.
------End------
During the end people will clap and may stand up, cheer or shout to tell the actors they did a good job.
