The appeal of depravity

Tom Rakewell’s journey to self-destruction, as presented by Igor Stravinsky’s music and W. H. Auden’s innuendo-filled libretto, is one that in many productions shows no glimpse of enjoyment. Some productions of The Rake’s Progress focus solely upon the pathetic side of Tom's moral depravity - the story of a rural boy who, tempted by a devil-like figure (Nick Shadow), goes to London and loses his money and friends before ending in a psychiatric asylum. Recently I saw a production in Copenhagen that presented Tom’s first orgy as the most boring party in the world, and in doing so missed the fun. Indeed, productions like this fail to highlight the fact that Tom’s “progress” has its appealing side, and thus fail to communicate to the audience that even the most conservative amongst us, and your correspondent makes no apology for championing…