Let cabaret diva of the highest order Meow Meow draw you into a fantastic history of the concubine, courtesan, conqueror, queen and sing song girl in a poignant yet deeply funny song cycle, ‘Tis Pity: An Operatic Fantasia on Selling the Skin and the Teeth at the Melbourne Recital Centre from 4 February 2017.
Composed by Richard Mills, opera’s naughty boy and audience favourite Kanen Breen stars opposite Meow in their first on stage dalliance a dynamite theatrical pairing. Meow Meow reunites with director Cameron Menzies to create this new work following the sell-out season of Victorian Opera’s Seven Deadly Sins (2015).
Richard Mills has worked closely with Meow Meow to develop this flight of fancy on the complexities of sex, pleasure, survival and salvation, from Ishtar to the Internet. An examination of the world’s oldest profession, ‘Tis Pity poses questions about morality and explores the notion that everyone is selling themselves to some degree. The eclectic tuneful score, reflects Mills’ love of Hollywood epics, ragtime, rhumbas, mambos, tangos and more.
“This is a piece about the progress of the whore in history, an inspection of the triumphs, magnificence and trials of the “grandes horizontales” through time conducted by the quintessential tour guide of the picaresque – the legendary Meow Meow, whose delicacy, taste and judgement in all matters, including sex, will beguile, entrance and delight us all,” says Mills.
“She shines the light on the catalogue of human frailty, the need for love amidst hypocrisy, her humour and compassion and understanding of the human heart will lead us on a magical journey through the shadowy themes, both hilarious and sad, which accompany her meditations on the different yet common plights of “working girls (and boys)” throughout the ages.”
Named a ‘cabaret diva of the highest order’ by the New York Post, Meow Meow’s unique brand of ‘kamikaze cabaret’ and performance art has hypnotised, inspired and terrified audiences globally. With trail-blazing sell-out seasons from New York’s Lincoln Center and Berlin’s Bar Jeder Vernunft, to London’s Apollo Theatre, Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Sydney Opera House.
Director: Cameron Menzies Featuring: Meow Meow, Kanen Breen, Alexander Bryce, Thomas Johansson, Patrick Weir, Orchestra Victoria Concept & Libretto: Richard Mills, Meow Meow, Cameron Menzies Conductor & Arranger: Richard Mills Design: Meow Meow, Cameron Menzies Lighting Designer: Eduard Inglés Sound Designer: Jim Atkins Choreographic Consultant: Kate Denborough Illusion Consultant: Ross Skiffington
‘Tis Pity: An Operatic Fantasia on Selling the Skin and the Teeth
Elisabeth Murdoch Hall – Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank Boulevard, Southbank
Season: 4 – 8 February 2017
Bookings: www.melbournerecital.com.au
For more information, visit: www.victorianopera.com.au for details.
Image: Meow Meow stars in Victorian Opera’s ‘Tis Pity: An Operatic Fantasia on Selling the Skin and the Teeth – photo by Karl Giant