HAMLET as told by The Tiger Lillies

Bottom left: NANNA TROUVER KOPPEL as Ophelia, Top left ZLATKO BURIC as Clausius, Center left MARTYN JACQUES of The Tiger Lillies, Center CASPAR PHILLIPSON as Hamlet, Center Bottom ADRIAN HUGE of The Tiger Lillies,  Center right ADRIAN STOUT of The Tiger Lillies, Top right MORTEN CHRISTENSEN as Laertes-Polonius, Bottom right CHARLOTTE ENGELKES as Gertrude photo © MIKLOS SZABO

Life is full of surprises! Last Saturday, I was sipping on a cola when I recognized a man who had worked at the same radio station I had. I raised my hand to say hi! when a stunning woman said a warm open greeting as she unexpectedly merged on this acquaintance. As a journalist, I have met so many people it took a while to realize I did not know this person, but we looked familiar to each other. She is the performance artist and director CHARLOTTE ENGELKES who was in Montreal for REPUBLIQE.DK 's presentation of Hamlet as told by The TIGER LILLIES

This show is a unique experience that is difficult to describe, but I will give it a shot. The set is multilayered in such a way that the lead singer of The Tiger Lillies, MARTYN JACQUES,  always appears in the forefront, his white pre-war Berlin cabaret make-up like a mask popping out of the dark.
You can clearly hear every word he sings. His "Criminal Castrato" surname becomes quite explicit as with suavity he chants dark tales of sex, murder, betrayal and madness. His two acolytes, ADRIAN STOUT and ADRIAN HUGE are just as wickedly playful.

The mix of circus art, video art, set design, and the precise performances of the cast member transports us into a dark surrealist world where everyone appears quite deliciously MAD!

The show is on an international tour so I recommend you follow the links in the article to find out when and where they will appear in a theater near you! DO NOT MISS IT!

-LENA GHIO

THE TIGER LILLIES after the show, signing and selling their CD's. phot © Lena Ghio 2014