“A Chorus Of Disapproval“ is an English play from Alan Ayckbourn, written in 1984. The story follows a young widower, Guy Jones, as he joins an amateur operatic society that is putting on “The Beggar’s Opera“. He rapidly progresses through the ranks to become the male lead, while simultaneously conducting liaisons with several of the female cast. Moreover, he is being entangled in deceitful business affairs. When he starts quarrelling with the quick-tempered director of the group, his newly gained popularity begins to waver.
Many of the songs from “The Beggar’s Opera“ are kept within the play, usually being sung with their own, new context. aToc added a dark and flagitious atmosphere to the play that – along with the striking humour – yields an entertaining and, above all, immersive mixture. Many songs of the opera were reinterpreted and included in the performance. Thereby, main parts of the original texts were adopted but were musically transformed into various jazz styles which accentuate the flagitious nature of the show. The songs were performed live, accompanied by piano (Miriam Orphal). Anja Gimpel was in charge of choreography.
The play was put on stage in 2018. Both “Er berückt mich“ and “Straßenschlacht“ were produced subsequently in studio.
| Director | Valeria Mik |
| Cast | Anja Gimpel Mandy Pazzig Tino Meisel Stephan Kowalik Kristina Kurtze Marie Klein Paul Zybart Olga Slavina Alex Schmidt Dennis Thamm Miriam Orphal Björn Meisel Violetta Riedel Dominic Grünberger Sabine Saeed Jonas Pietsch |
| Composition | Jens J. Dewald |
| Original Lyrics | John Gay Johann Christoph Pepusch Georgy Calmus (german translation) |
| Piano | Miriam Orphal |
| Technical director | Holger Duhn |
