The Tiger Lillies – One Penny Opera

The world of The Tiger Lillies is dark, peculiar and varied, with moments of deep sadness, cruel black humour and immense beauty. This unique, Grammy nominated, Brechtian street opera trio tour the world playing concerts and theatre shows such as Poe’s Haunted Palace, Corrido de la Sangre and the West End hit Shockheaded Peter. Their songs cover all the dark aspects of life, from prostitution and drug addiction to violence and despair.

Based on the seminal 18th century Beggar’s Opera by John Gay and Brecht and Weill’s Threepenny Opera, the band present their own version of this wildly entertaining classic. A huge inspiration to Martyn Jacques, The Tiger Lillies founder, the story is presented as a song cycle swarming with highwaymen, thieves, jailors, pimps and prostitutes – a world of greed, crime, poverty, inequality and outrageous comedy, where the politicians are just as corrupt as the lowlife below them.