Mack the Knife

Part rock-cabaret; part night-on-the-town; and part immersive experience… Welcome to Peachums: lively bar and not-so-secret criminal hub, where the iconic characters from The Threepenny Opera – Macheath, Polly, Mr and Mrs Peachum, Tiger Brown and more – weave a world of charm, opportunity, and sweet little lies. Mr and Mrs Peachum have long ruled the entertainment strip – both over and under the counter – but the audience arrives as their reign is under threat from the wealthy, moralising Mayor Tiger Brown, whose corrupt influence stretches from City Hall right through the underworld. The Peachums’ razor-sharp daughter Polly may hold the key to their security, but when charming rogue and legendary outlaw Macheath slides back into town, sparks fly in more ways than one. The Peachums need help from the crowd to keep their hopes alive as Mayor Brown campaigns ruthlessly for audience members’ votes – and meanwhile, street crook Jenny is out of jail and wreaking her own kind of havoc throughout the auditorium. Before long, shocking arrests and dizzying double-crosses leave each of the players caught between their ambitions and suddenly shifting loyalties – and growing increasingly desperate for a way out. As wedding bells ring and the gallows loom, the audience must help Polly decide who she wants to be – dutiful daughter, powerful wife, or something far more daring. Mack The Knife is a bold, fresh, immersive take on a classic tale, brought to you by our Artistic Directors Richard Carroll and Victoria Falconer , and their award-winning co-creator Jordan Shea . Featuring blistering original songs and a host of surprises at each performance – every night at PEACHUMS will be an electrifying, unrepeatable experience. The Experience From the moment you walk through the door that leads to the Foundry Theatre, you’ll enter PEACHUMS – a vibrant bar and thieves’ den that recalls the underground nightclubs of 1980s Kings Cross – if they were blended with a Spiegeltent and a Dickensian opium den. Here, the outside world is forgotten, unique experiences await you, and no two visits are ever the same. Mr and Mrs Peachum hold court in the bar (hold on to your wallet), while in other rooms there are drinks and games with members of the Peachums’ gang (watch out for Suki Tawdry, she doesn’t handle her gin so well), and even the chance to escape the bar and be admitted to a function with ‘family values’ campaigner, Mayor Tiger Brown. There’s collusion in every corner, and persistent rumours that the legendary criminal Mack The Knife is back in town. As the show moves into the theatre itself, the audience remain essential to assisting the characters and propelling the story. This is theatre at its most thrilling – a high-stakes musical caper in which you’re not just an observer, but an accomplice.