AWARD winning cabaret act The Tiger Lillies are bringing a new show based on the First World War masterpiece The Last Days of Mankind to Wilton’s Music Hall.
Inspired by the anti war satire created by Austrian writer Karl Kraus, the songs show a society marching to self destruction.
The gypsy punk cult cabaret stars say the themes covered by the work are more relevant than ever in the light of the war in Ukraine. The show opens on September 6.
Songwriter and singer Martyn Jacques says: “Kraus talks about all the horrible things that happen in war. The starvation of the poor and the children, the deserters running away and being executed. It is all very poignant.
“The nastiest people start to control everything and petty bureaucrats wield power. It’s a nightmare.
“In many ways the war in Ukraine is more like World War Two than World War One because Putin is the aggressor. But you also have the propaganda - with people saying the Ukrainians are like Nazis which just isn’t true.”
Martyn Jacques said: “We have spent a lot of time in Ukraine and we are very upset about what is happening there.”
The Tiger Lillies, who have a huge following in Russia, have also made the decision not to tour there since the outbreak of war. Members of the group have collaborated with Ukrainian band The Hypnotunez and Ukrainian animators to produce an anti war video which lambasts Putin and his dreams of glory.
The 22 songs in the production were originally written for a theatre production of Kraus’ epic masterpiece which was performed in Scotland, Germany and Poland in 2018.
One of the original cast members, Antonina Romanova, is currently fighting on the front line in Ukraine.
Antonina Romanova, speaking from Ukraine said: “I thank the Tiger Lillies for their constant support in these difficult times. This is very important for us and for me personally. You guys are incredible.”
Among the songs written by Jacques in response to The Last Days of Mankind are Die for your Country, War is Not Fair and the beautiful A Million Martyrs to Love.
Karl Kraus’ The Last Days of Mankind is an epic play written in Vienna during World War One. The text includes overheard conversations, newspaper reports and political discussions - reflecting the conversations happening among coffee house radicals during the war.
The entire play would take 24 hours to perform and was said by its author to be impossible to stage. A four hour theatre version, starring the Tiger Lillies, originating in Scotland, was directed by John Paul McGroarty and Yuri Birte Anderson and featured young actors from 11 European countries, including Ukraine.
Martyn Jacques said: “I’d never heard of Karl Kraus before being asked to take part in the project at Leith Theatre in Scotland. It is a remarkable piece of work and it inspired me to write a lot of new songs.”
As a songwriter Jacques is extraordinarily prolific and often writes songs in response to current events. During Covid he wrote two albums about the worldwide pandemic, the fear the suffering and the death. He has also written several satirical songs about President Putin and the war in Ukraine.
With their signature blend of chanson, opera and gypsy music the London-based Tiger LIllies defy definition. The group revel in the bawdy vaudeville traditions of prostitution, opium dens and the seedy life of the street musician.
The group began in 1989, winning two Olivier awards and a Grammy in 2002 for their work Shock Headed Peter.
Wilton’s Music Hall is a beautifully restored nineteenth century music hall in Graces Alley, East London.
The Tiger Lillies - The Last Days of Mankind
Wilton’s Music Hall, Graces Alley, London E1 8JB
September 6 - 17, 7.30
Running time 90 minutes, 20 minute interval
£11.50 £24 full price/£9.50 - £22 concessions
Buy tickets here.
