To be honest, I had never heard of The Tiger Lillies but I quickly discovered that the majority of my circle of friends not only knew of them but adored them, raved about them, and had been to see them whenever they could. So when I combined that knowledge with the fact that they are performing a cycle of songs specially written to tell the story of A Christmas Carol, I knew I had to go and see it, writes Michael Holland.
The trio walked on, unsmiling, through the stage mist and took up their positions. With their faces painted white, they looked like a strange blend between Kiss, macabre Mime artists, and Day of the Dead enthusiasts. Quite disconcerting to the uninitiated.
With no welcoming, introductory talk regarding what we are about to hear they went straight in to the first song about poverty. Christmas Carol: A Victorian Gutter had begun.
Between each number, a short scene from Dickens’ book was played out to add a narrative to the music, which itself ranged from melancholic to poignant, from upbeat to funereal. Sometimes hinting at Jazz influences, at other times there was a Gypsy-Punk feel to it. The only constant was the feeling of dread as everything about the show created an atmosphere of need and hardship, with the poor being completely disregarded by the rich. There was a song about Tuberculosis while percussionist Buddy Butenop was seemingly coughing up his lungs along with his very last breath.
Adrian Stout (Double bass, Jew’s Harp, musical saw, theremin, guitar, vocals) played Scrooge in a nightgown and nightcap while constructing an eerie and haunting array of sounds from an odd array of instruments when the ghosts appeared. And there was stifled laughter when they did appear, from an audience subdued by not knowing if this was supposed to be comedy or Grand Guignol.
But it is Martyn Jacques (Vocals, accordion, piano, ukulele) who writes the songs and grabs all the focus. His Dame Edna Everage narrating voice transforms to the most beautiful falsetto to pluck at our heartstrings as he plucks at his ukulele or plays a mournful tune on the piano.
There are no Mr and Mrs Fezziwig to dance and laugh and bring light into the darkest depths of The Tiger Lillies’ London. And Dickens’ finale, where Scrooge is a changed man, full of cheer and goodwill, is dismissed as if it did not happen. The Cratchits enjoying a festive family Christmas dinner is hardly mentioned. Christmas Carol: A Victorian Gutter begins and ends in the shadows that hide the destitution of those that need salvation the most in this concert that, once experienced, stays with you.
I now know The Tiger Lilies and with this Dickens with a difference I won’t forget them.
Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank, SE1 until December 30th. Admission: £18 – £25
Booking: www.southbankcentre.co.uk
Photos: Pete Woodhead