'A Macbeth song': a fantastic gothic cabaret

Hell is empty. “The demons are among us,” sings Martyn Jacques, the songwriter and vocalist of The Tiger Lillies, in falsetto. After a very brief silence, he adds: “Trump.” The quote is his own in this case. Macbeth turned into a unique gothic cabaret that portrays the evil and stupidity of one of Shakespeare's great villains through 22 original songs. This proposal by Oriol Broggi is conceived as a tale full of fury but also humor with the undeniable contribution of the trio of musicians founded in 1989 in London.

For those who don't know them, it should be said that The Tiger Lillies is a trio of musicians with a long list of records and hundreds of concerts and attached to the so-called Dark Cabaret. They have influences and references as wide as the German cabaret from before the Second World War, gypsy melodies and the so-called gothic music that fits like a glove in the Library nave.

In any case, The Tiger Lillies are not a typical musical trio. On the contrary. Their make-up refers to killer clowns and Batman's Joker, but also to the naivety of Buster Keaton. Their instruments – with a small accordion, musical saw, ukulele, sound tuning fork and banjolele – are reminiscent of a small orchestra from a Parisian beach bar from the last century. And the lyrics of the songs speak of evil, shadows, darkness, lies, fear and power. They are the three witches who will mark the destiny of the regicide couple. The Tiger Lillies are, at last, the heart of this proposal in which Shakespeare's text (what remains of it) is limited to narrating the story (with a fair amount of wit) and is, therefore, indebted to the music. Even more so because the three magnificent performers (Marcia Cisteró, Enric Cambray, Andrew Tarbet) dare to speak in English, in a curious decision that we think has to do with the international vocation of the show. In some visual textures with a vintage air, it is necessary to celebrate the impressive projections by Francesc Isern, the exquisite sound (Damien Bazin) and the lighting by Pep Barcons to give body and soul to the concert.