The Tiger Lillies at the New Player's Theatre

The Tiger Lillies at the New Player's Theatre

07 May, 2009
by: Longboy

The Tiger Lillies are masters of the 3 minute curiosity and they are performing a selection of their finest and weirdest songs every night for the next 3 weeks.   The clandestine, subterranean location of the New Player's Theatre (in the archways under Charing Cross) is a superb setting for this group providing them with an intimate and evocative home.

For those of you who aren't familiar with them, the Tiger Lillies' inspirations are firmly rooted within the worlds of English vaudeville and European cabaret.  Flavours of Edward Lear, Spike Milligan, Cabaret and Roald Dahl all permeate both the songs and their presentation.  One of my favourites concerned the little boy who was told not to pick his nose or else the monster would come and chop off his fingers ('Snip, Snip').  Unconcerned he continued, lost his fingers as predicted and bled to death. Whilst it's easy to associate the goriness of their songs with modern day rebellion (surely we were only this daring after the Sex Pistols?), they are in fact reconnecting us with the darkness that dwells within the archetypes of classical fairytales and therefore in the broader collective unconscious.  Every song they performed ended in the death of its subject and the band told their fates with ever increasing frenzy and delight over the course of the evening (although it was hard even for the band not to feel sorry for the cute little teddy bear that was torn to pieces on stage).

The Tiger Lillies have a knack for using vocabulary that evokes a past time and a mode of expression that whilst out of use is still familiar.  They write brilliant poetry and colour it using the most exquisite palette of traditional musical styles, which has the effect of planting one into a rickety chair in a dingy, musty basement between the wars watching the freaks and outcasts revel in the pale limelight.

It is a shame therefore that this show does not provide any other freaks to keep them company (apart from the announcer who wore a rubber pig's head) as the show would be out of this world if we had even a sprinkling of complimentary talent.  It was all a bit more stripped back than I expected.  This is because the group are booked in like The Mousetrap, 10 shows of an hour and a half each week for a month, and indeed why not when it comes down to it, as they were laugh out loud funny and performed work of great complexity and accomplishment.    This is not a signature presentation by the Tiger Lillies but a collection of their signature songs and if you have not seen them before you are well advised to check them out during this run.  Perfect with dinner and a date if you can manage it – try one of the late shows for the full experience.

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Longboy