Der Teufel ist los

Teufel ist los, Der, a Singspiel, based on C. Coffey's ballad opera The Devil to pay or The wives metamorphosed (1731), a work which owes much to Gay's The Beggar's Opera (1728). Translated into German in 1743 by C. W. von Borck, it was successfully performed by the Schönemannsche Truppe, a company possessing the MS., which remained unpublished. In 1752 it was adapted by C. F. Weiße as Die verschmähten Weiber oder Der Teufel ist los, becoming generally known by its sub-title; this version, which was printed, drew full houses throughout Germany. In 1766 Weiße rewrote it, introducing new numbers and securing further success. The work contributed to establishing the Singspiel in Germany.