The Tiger Lillies returns with Hamlet

Left to right: Martyn Jaques, Morten Christensen (portraying Hamlet) and Adrian Stout

British cult band Tiger Lillies is back on the road and set to bring their version of Hamlet to the Cultural Centre tomorrow.
English group Tiger Lillies and Danish Theatre Republique will co-stage a visual and musical performance of Shakespeare’s tragic masterpiece, Hamlet; featuring a blend of circus acts, video projections and live music.
Conceived by theatre director Martin Tulinius and bandleader Martyn Jacques, the two-hour piece will showcase the sounds and images that finely illustrate Hamlet’s downfall through this creative venture between the performers.
Tulinius said in a statement that he originally wanted to stage King Lear, another tragedy written by Shakespeare. Nevertheless, a collaboration with the English band was decided to better fit the staging of Hamlet  as it features “insanity and strange sexual relations.”
“I wanted to cut the story down to the bone, find the essence of the story and intensify it,” he wrote. “Rather than making a historical staging, I would like the audience to be able to see themselves in the story.”
Meanwhile in a meet-the-
press event yesterday at the Cultural Center, Jacques revealed that the theatrical show will not feature the “traditional play” of Hamlet but will largely focus on the incorporation of musical elements to emphasize key moments in the plot.
“The madness is the theme we explored a lot,” he explained. “Lust and various other kinds of forms of revenge. […] It’s much more musical than visual [when compared to] the classic Hamlet.”
Echoing the sentiments, bass player Adrian Stout described the production as a “moving show,” stressing the emotional themes, visual and musical elements.
“It’s not a passive show. It’s just not another classic version [of Hamlet] with different costumes and [a] different interpretation. And I think the visuals are particularly very strong,” he said.
The Tiger Lillies trio is an underground band, making them a perfect match for Theatre Republique’s production of Hamlet.
The play is a exploration of the dark side of human nature: murder, revenge and betrayal. The band will bring the tunes that kept the trio on the dark trail of earlier shows such as their show in the region five years ago.
Macau is the first stop of the band’s Asian tour and is set to perform next in Hong Kong.
When asked what the band expects from the local audience, Jacques joked, “we hope they like it and they clap. That’s it really.” Stout added, “We just wanna be loved.”