I saw a quite spectacular production of The Beggar's Opera on Saturday night at the Lyceum. What I can't work out is whether it was spectacular because I had low to no expectations of liking it or whether it was genuinely a pretty impressive show.

As Caroline (farewell, my pretty) wisely observed in the pub afterwards, it's a show she's never fancied seeing as the title puts her off. "It sounds a bit grimey." I agree wholeheartedly. It sounded to me like a less palatable and more worthy version of Les Miserables. But Mother got tickets for the preview and it seemed uncharitable not to attend with her. And my interest was half piqued by the fact that it was a co-production with Vanishing Point. Not that I can remember anything much about what they've done previously but they would feature quite highly in my list of theatre companies to keep an eye on (benevolent - I should have lived three hundred years ago and been rich. I'd've been an excellent patron).

Anyway, it was amazing. They'd updated it to a I don't know what dystopian means so it probably isn't appropriate but a bleak anyway future. MacHeath was a skinny but charismatic Robin Hood type gangster robbing from the beautiful people up above to sustain the worldy grimey needs of those below. The Godfather gang leader happened to have a gorgeous daughter (and a frisky though alarming wife) so I guess it was, in true story tradition, a minor inevitability that love would blossom. But that was bad because MacHeath was bad and what a hopeless prospect for pretty daughter. But perhaps you all know the story anyway and it is only my innate ignorance that meant it was a surprise to me.

There were two particularly lovely things they'd done with it. The set was absolutely stunning. Maybe I shouldn't spoil the surprise as Ross is going on Saturday but it completely outdid The Last Witch which, in turn, was one of the finest sets I'd then seen for a long time. And then the band. I can't remember their name. I should have brought the little flyer with me. But they'd been clothed in this raggy post-apocalyptic uniform of the gang members, lurked on stage throughout and did they croon popular tracks from today's tinny pop culture or was it specially composed stuff (curtain call aside which, at least, I recognised). I foolishly didn't get a programme so cannot be sure either way. But - sound levels which badly needed some tweaking but it was their first night aside - it made the whole thing into a lovely riot of sound and pretty pictures and of course slightly pantomimey but seductively engaging performances. I loved it.

Mother hated it. But we were three rows from the front so she was forced to sit through most of the songs with her fingers in her ears. Dark days.

I'm wildly thinking I might go and see it again to see if it's really as good as I think it might be. There's a tiny little clip here so you can begin to judge for yourselves.