Character Descriptions

Principal roles
MACHEATH (Mac the Knife)
Age: Mid-Late 30s
Voice type: Tenor/ Baritone
Described as a bandit, MAC is a notorious criminal, infamous as a
murderer and thief. He is the leader of a gang of criminals and holds his
place as the top criminal in London. He is inherently selfish and pursues
nothing unless it serves his own interests. Secretly unhappy with his life of
low-life crime, MAC does what he does because he is good at it, not to act
out against society. He aspires to join the middle class and earn his
fortune in a more respectable fashion. He loves POLLY, though he views
her as more of a possession that he can add to his hoard of stolen goods.
The fact that she is the daughter of his nemesis PEACHUM makes her the
crown-jewel of his collection.

JONATHAN JEREMIAH PEACHUM

Age: Late 50s
Voice type: Baritone
A self-styled man of the people, PEACHUM uses his position as proprietor
of The Beggars Friend Ltd. to control the beggars of London, supplying
them with his wares and protection, and taking a generous slice of their
profits in return. Like the beggars he trains to deceive, the beggar king
acts the part of a virtuous, God-fearing man. He uses traditional morality
to justify his own ends, and is as selfish and as hypocritical as MAC. He
hates MAC, whose gang makes trouble for his business. He plots to have
MAC captured and hanged, and disables MACs main ally BROWN by
threatening to ruin the Queens coronation with a display of human
misery through the use of his beggar- employees.

CELIA PEACHUM
Age: Early-Mid 50
Voice Type: Mezzo- Soprano
MRS PEACHUM is the long suffering partner in crime of PEACHUM. She is
your typical home-maker, and helps PEACHUM with the production of his
beggars wares. She is a drunk however, the kind of person who keeps a
hip-flask of gin in her pocket to get her through the day. Once as nave
and hopeful as POLLY, MRS PEACHUM is now in the autumn of her life and
displays a jaded sense of humour.

POLLY PEACHUM
Age: Late teens/ early 20s
Voice type: Soprano
At the beginning of the play POLLY is a sweet, nave girl, who longs for
romance and adventure. She rushes into a marriage with a man she
barely knows and is initially horrified at her new husbands criminality and
wild disregard for others. As the play progresses, POLLY becomes
hardened by her exposure to this life of crime and agrees to lead MACs
gang while he is gone. Her innocence disappears and she displays a fierce
passion when affronted by her love rival LUCY. POLLY is unwavering in her
love for MAC, even though he has another woman. This love conflicts with
her own self-interest, as well as the self-interest of her parents. This
makes her unusual in the play- as one of the only characters who
represents the possibility of something more than self-interest being a
motivator.

TIGER BROWN
Age: Early 40s
Voice type: Bass-Baritone
BROWN is the High Sheriff of London, and an ally of MACs- they formed a
friendship while both were serving in the British Army. MAC keeps BROWN
sweet by giving him a share of the money he steals. In return, BROWN
erases all trace of MAC from the police files and informs him of any raids
the police force plan. He is loyal and amicable with MAC, however he is
mainly in it for the cut of the profits he gets.

LUCY BROWN
Age: Mid- Late 20s
Voice type: Soprano
Daughter of TIGER BROWN, LUCY is independent and street-smart. She is
also married to MAC and competes with POLLY for the right to be called
Mrs. Macheath by pretending to be pregnant with MACs child.

LOW-DIVE JENNY
Age: Mid- Late 30s
Voice type: Mezzo- soprano
JENNY is a whore- a former employee of MAC, whom she also lived with.
She betrays MAC twice to the Peachums, at first on purpose, and secondly
by accident. Not the sharpest tool in the shed nor the most virtuous.

Ensemble roles
A BALLAD SINGER
Age: N/A
Voice type: Baritone
A key role in driving the narrative forward, the BALLAD SINGER acts the
part of the narrator throughout the play. Must be a strong performer with
lots of character.

WALTER
Age: Late 20s
Voice type: Tenor
DREARY WALT is a criminal with a taste for finery, stealing only from the
aristocracy; the riskiest catch of all. He is clever, but too impulsive and
doesnt always think his actions through, which has led him into a few
interesting situations that he has had to improvise his way out of.

MATTHEW (Matt of the Mint)

Age: Mid- Late 30s
Voice type: Tenor
Rebellious and sarcastic in nature, MATT constantly contradicts MAC. This
is more for the fun/ drama of it than to suggest any mutiny- hes clever,
but too lazy to take over. He initially refuses to be led by a woman when
POLLY takes over the gang, but is soon put in his place.

JAKE
Age: Early 20s
Voice type: Tenor
CROOKED- FINGER JAKE, is new to a life of crime. He is quite nave for his
age, and a little dopey.

JIMMY
Age: Late teens (Pretends he is older)
Voice type: Tenor
The youngest of MACs gang, JIMMMY revels his position as part of the
gang, orphaned at an early age, he views the gang as his family.

ROBERT
Age: Early 20s

Voice type: Tenor

A good man at heart, ROBERT often acts the part of peace-maker within
the gang. He is the voice of reason and is respected and liked within the
gang.

NED
Age: Mid 20s
Voice type: Tenor
Nervous and sketchy, NED has been caught with his fingers in the till in
the past and is on probation within the gang. He is therefore keen to seek
his superiors favour.

THE REVEREND KIMBALL

Age: late 60s
Voice type: N/A
Humble and nervous, the Reverend Kimball marries POLLY and MAC under
duress. When youre lucky enough to have lived in Soho until your late
60s, its best to keep your head down and do what youre told.

FILCH
Age: Early 30s
Voice type: N/A
A new beggar in town, FILCH is ignorant to the way things are run in
PEACHUMS territory, and receives a warning beating as a result. He
quickly joins PEACHUMs band out of fear. Even a beggar can be fired
from his profession by his boss.

CONSTABLE SMITH
Age: Early 30s
Voice type: N/A
An employee of BROWN, SMITH is just doing his job to get paid. His loyalty
can be bought.

Chorus
BEGGARS/WHORES/CONSTABLES/THEIVES