 In 1728 , John Gay 's The Beggar 's Opera was extremely successful and ran for 62 times during the season , an unprecedented length of time . The play began to change London theatre through the introduction of political themes and experimentation in form . Following this trend , Fielding pushed politics into the forefront of his plays . This provoked criticism from all sides , including from the playwright Colley Cibber . However , The Beggar 's Opera is not Fielding 's only influence ; Fielding is part of the theatrical tradition surrounding him , and , as Harold Pagliaro points out , " Fielding 's first play , like all those to follow , is among other things an accommodation to the world of theatre in which he worked . " 
