Coffey moved to London to pursue playwrighting, where his first ballad opera, The Beggar's Wedding, became the hit of the season. His 1731 ballad opera 'The Devil to Pay, or, The Wives Metamorphos'd,' born of a collaboration with John Mottley, was a sensation; once Theo. Cibber abridged it to one act, it became the most performed afterpiece of the century. His other dramatic endeavors, however, were largely failures. He had a knack for humor, but was more successful in collaboration than his independent work. Despite some scathing criticism, theater managers usually treated him with respect and often gave him a benefit. After the failure of two plays in 1733 and 1735, Coffey considered making income by publishing a subscription-based folio edition of the poet Michael Drayton, but he died before it was published in 1748.