The Harlot's Progress (1733), The Rake's Progress (Ms., ca. 1778-1780)

Adapted from Hogarth’s famous engravings, this pantomime‑ballad opera follows the tragic rise and fall of a young country girl, Kitty, as she arrives in London and slips into its underworld. The piece blends spoken verse with six lively airs, a colorful cast of twenty‑seven characters, and even a little harlequin dog, giving listeners a vivid tableau of innocence meeting debauchery. Early scenes trace her first flirtations and the beginnings of a dangerous social world that threatens to consume her.

A companion work, drawn from Hogarth’s eight‑print series, dramatizes the early decline of a prodigal rake whose lavish lifestyle and reckless bets soon show cracks. Presented with new lyrics set to familiar eighteenth‑century tunes, the opening acts reveal his first signs of moral collapse amid witty dialogue and comic mischief. Together the two pieces offer a colourful glimpse of eighteenth‑century London’s moral theatre, inviting listeners to hear the music and drama that once lit Drury Lane and fairground stages.