"The Beggar's Opera" is a so-called ballad opera popular during the early 18th Century, which used the music of popular folk songs, ballads, and church hymns set to new lyrics to satirize social customs, mores, and especially Italian opera. It copied the 3 act Italian operatic format rather than the then custom of 5 acts.
Kenneth Williams in his biography 'Just Williams' claimed he was horrified to find that they had over-dubbed his voice and feared what people would say, and so was relieved when the film was pulled after just one week.
A J. Arthur Rank British screen adaptation, to star Deanna Durbin, and to be produced by Michael Balcon, was briefly considered in 1947.
A sequel entitled "Polly" was written by Gay in 1729, with Dolly and MacHeath as West Indian pirates, but was considered too controversial and banned for 50 years.
In early 1953, it was inaccurately announced that Audrey Hepburn would star opposite Laurence Olivier in this production.
One of the characters, Dolly Trull, is aptly named as "trull" was an 18th century term for prostitute.
The character of Sukey Tawdry is mentioned in the famous Kurt Weill song, "Mack the Knife".
The genesis of this 1728 opera came from Jonathan Swift, who wrote to Alexander Pope in 1716 asking "...what think you, of a Newgate pastoral among the thieves and whores there?" Gay, who was a friend of both, took up the idea.