Martyn Jacques and Laura Caldow in Lulu – A Murder Ballad at the Linbury Studio, London.
Picture: Tom Arber
Lulu – A Murder Ballad continues at the Linbury Theatre, London until 28 November 2015, and plays at the Brighton Dome on 30 November.
Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
Who better to tackle the salacious subject of a murder ballad – and a murder ballad recounting the tale of an archetypal temptress – than The Tiger Lillies? This hurdy-gurdy trio of white-faced minstrels, famed for their long-running and award-winning Shockheaded Peter, are currently haunting the Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House with their ethereal, melancholic take on German playwright Frank Wedekind’s Lulu plays. It’s not for the faint-hearted – under-16s are discouraged – but goths, steampunks and fans of the macabre will enjoy its gloomy pitch-blackness.
Wedekind you might recognise as the German author of the oft-banned and censored Spring Awakening (1891), the fin de siècle play about budding sexuality that inspired the 2006 musical of the same name by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater. Here, two of his other popular – and equally scandalous – plays, Earth Spirit (1895) and Pandora’s Box (1904), are woven into a single narrative by The Tiger Lillies’ frontman Martyn Jacques.
It’s a grim tale centred on the tragic figure of Lulu, whose life of child abuse, prostitution and murder has inspired numerous movies, operas and concept albums. The most memorable interpretation was that by Louise Brooks, whose vampish black-bobbed harlot remains one of cinema’s most iconic figures. Here, the character is much more sympathetic, rendered in mute dance by Laura Caldow, a graduate of the Central School of Ballet and the Merce Cunningham Studio of New York. Not for Caldow the severe, goth look; her Lulu is a beautiful, ethereal figure who wisps in and out of the action like a spectre.
This musical version, first staged at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in January 2014, is told through verse. The words are Wedekind’s, recited and sung by the abusive characters in Lulu’s life, all of whom are portrayed with a truly creepy intensity by Jacques, who also provides musical accompaniment on a makeshift ukulele, a piano and an accordion. Supporting him is Adrian Stout on the contrabass, musical saw, jew’s harp, theremin and what I think is a nose flute, and Jonas Holland on drums and percussion.
The songs are mostly original pieces, with the odd – very odd! – bit of Cole Porter thrown in (‘Love For Sale’ and ‘My Heart Belongs to Daddy’, inappropriately enough). As ever, The Tiger Lillies’ unique sound is instantly recognisable, self-described as “a mixture of pre-war Berlin cabaret, anarchic opera and gypsy music”. I’m a huge fan of their oeuvre so hearing them live is always a treat, even if Jacques in his powerful falsetto voice is starting to remind me of Dame Edna Everage…
The 20-or-so-song cycle is presented in two acts on a bare stage that comes to kaleidoscopic life thanks to director/designer Mark Holthusen’s animated projections. While not quite as magnificent as his breathtaking work for The Tiger Lillies on The Rime of the Ancient Mariner at the South Bank Centre, the Lulu staging is nonetheless mesmerising, whisking the action effectively between Germany, France, Egypt and London, yet keeping the flighty Lulu trapped between the gauzes like a caged bird.
Whether or not you enjoy Lulu will probably come down to whether or not you’re a fan of The Tiger Lillies. Diehards will get it immediately, as they appeared to do on the opening night, dressed to the nines in their Victoriana. But if you’ve never experienced the demented trio, then this might not be the best introduction, as their other shows have shown more ambition and inventiveness. The storyline also falls short – with the focus on the men in her life, we don’t really get to understand the character of Lulu – and the songs lacks the dark comedy that typically ripples through The Tiger Lillies’ other work.
On saying that, I still found Lulu enjoyable – if that’s the right word for such a grim subject – and the affordable Linbury offers great value for money, even though I’d have preferred to experience the show in a more intimate cabaret setting, with a glass of wine to help wash it all down.
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