Review: The Very Worst of the Tiger Lillies
Roll up! Roll up! Get ready to gawk at the depraved and the downtrodden, the freaks and the bums on the wharf in the rain. The musical vagabonds are back and theyâre luring us into the shadows for a stroll through the wrong end of town.
The Tiger Lillies formed in London in 1989. Since then the musical trio has won awards and wowed audiences around the world with their live performances, albums, theatre and art collaborations.
Adelaide audiences first saw the groupâs cult hit musical Shockheaded Peter at Her Majestyâs Theatre in 2000, and met them again at the Space in 2003. The show theyâve brought to this yearâs Cabaret Festival features âthe greatest and worst songsâ of a career thatâs almost hit the 30-year mark.
Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent is the perfect venue for this deliciously revolting casserole of opera, punk and gypsy cabaret. Itâs a suitably intimate and ornate setting for what is a captivating performance from all three artists.
Frontman Martyn Jacques, the âcriminal castratoâ, is the groupâs founder and songwriter. He plays accordion, piano and ukulele, but is best known for his astonishing voice. Adrian Stout plays contrabass, musical saw and the wonderfully weird theremin, while Jonas Golland, who joined the group in 2015, is on drums and percussion.
The Tiger Lillies are the masters of what is definitely a niche market â they sing sad, sick songs that âshouldnât be allowedâ. Their world is a place of perverse beauty. There are whores aplenty, sailors, too, corpses and their killers by the score.
Characterisation is the key to surviving a wade through this bleaker-than-bleak swamp. The stars of the songs might be blasphemous and downright nasty, but theyâre vividly drawn and, once heard, never forgotten.
Itâs a world where tattoos hide bruises (Pretty Lisa) and kittens miaow beside the steaming remains of a naughty mistress whose inability to do as sheâs told leads her to an unfortunate end (The Dreadful Story about Harriet and the Matches). Aunty Mabel isnât doing too well since the war ended, but she makes the most of what sheâs got â a very special talent (and a whopping secret). Pretty Lisaâs dreams of a high-wire career are dashed when, bashed by exploitative boyfriend Dashing Tony, sheâs forced to work as a sideshow attraction instead.
Darkness envelopes the first half of the evening. Thereâs no sugar coating on the âdrugs are badâ message of Billyâs Blues. His habit takes him straight to a slab in the morgue with only a couple of quick stops at rehab and prison on the way. In Terrible we hear a sociopathic killerâs laundry list of gruesome weekly chores. Silly Billy Boys is a rollicking ditty about dead children who learn, the hard way, what happens to bullies.
The show finishes with an encore of requests (including Violin Time and Banging in the Nails) and a few brief words with the audience before one final number from Shockheaded Peter. The Lillies are at their best when the grim subject matter is lightened with a splash of whimsy, and Flying Robert (about a boy who knew he should have stayed inside when the wind whipped up) was a satisfying choice to end to the night.
Subscribe for updates
One final warning for those who havenât twigged yet â itâs not a show for the easily offended. If youâre game, however, then pour yourself another glass of wine and settle in for some good, old-fashioned (ghastly) entertainment.
The Very Worst of the Tiger Lillies is showing at the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent until June 17. See more Adelaide Cabaret Festival reviews and previews here.
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.
Free to share
This article may be shared online or in print under a Creative Commons licence