The Show’s The Thing (or how Adelaide Fringe created a Siren)

Tags

adelaide fringe, cabaret, gown, jema hewitt, ralph bogard, siren, songs, Vintage

When I started to gather songs for ‘Siren’, I wasn’t sure what I was creating. I knew I had to create a new show, ‘War Notes‘ and ‘Songs to Make You Smile‘ have both almost had their day (although, they are open for booking should you be so inclined!). So I knew I had to create something. Now, I work well under pressure, so given a year of procrastinating, moving sheet music from pile to pile and then arranging the piles into alphabetical order and then rearranging them chronologically I started to form the basis of an idea.

My life has been in a state of flux over the last year, I think that many cabaret performers sometimes feel the same. The work is neither consistent nor assured and although I’m often lucky to be busy and in demand, that could change tomorrow. I also had a baby, with all the added pressures and responsibility that he brings along with his toddling and giggling. My husband is often away on tour and marriage is sometimes really tough. No one tells you that when it’s all hearts, flowers and engagement rings.

So I haven’t been in the most creative frame of mind, and yet this show was booked into Adelaide Fringe way back in September. So I had to create something. Anything. I sensed a theme amongst my chosen songs, they were eclectic, but all vaguely nautical. I wanted to do something deeper, more mysterious and more enchanting. It wasn’t easy, but nothing that is worth something comes easy to you. I couldn’t find the flow, I couldn’t find the links and so a very dear friend of mine, Ralph Bogard offered to help me find my way in the darkness. And boy, did he. We worked intensively for two days and it was exhausting both emotionally and physically. We explored the song choices and the reasoning behind them and therein lay the links. Some funny, some feminist and some just plain painful. He forced me to delve deeper and share those locked away emotions and hurts that make the songs real.

I originally wanted a costume that would come apart as the show progressed and my fabulous costumier, Jema Hewitt made me the most amazing disintergrating ‘sea wraith’ dress but once I rehearsed with it, it felt contrived and I couldn’t find the truth in it. So I ditched that idea, grudgingly, let me tell you! So I was costumeless. It was a problem, as one of my techniques to bringing a show together is building from the costume. You find the perfect visual aesthetic and everything else seems to fall into place. I happened to be browsing a vintage store in Auckland and I came across this deep sea blue and green 1940’s gown. It was glamorous but a little tatty, a little fragile, coming apart at the seams – much like me (under the bravado). As soon as I put it on, ‘Siren’ was born.

Now, I’ve spent a month here at the Adelaide Fringe, it’s been really hard work but I have had good friends around to counsel. My ‘work spouse’, Mat Ricardo, has been an absolute rock. He’s been a shoulder to lean on and an ear when I needed to rant, cry or talk and we have also laughed. I think it is always hard when the material you are doing drags up from the depths of your soul the past hurts and emotions that you had locked away in a little box and buried deep. What is the quote from ‘The Go-Between’? – ‘the past is a foreign country, they do things differently there’. The past was a different country, I was a different person. In a way, ‘Siren’ has been a gift of closure of some open wounds which I had just packed with glitter and tit tape – like a cabaret war wound! It’s shown me that emotional honesty onstage can be an incredibly terrifying thing but to be able to share that with an audience and take them on that journey with you is an exhilaration. Through the show, I’ve confronted, literally, those weights laying heavy within me and reaffirmed that in my life that I have made the right decisions, no matter how painful they were at the time.

So my message this morning is don’t be afraid to use your hurts and emotional weak spots to create art. Use them, share them, allow your audience the privilege of seeing deep inside you to where those cuts are still raw. It both hurts more and hurts less as time goes on. We are so caught up in our own fear to fail, our unwillingness to commit, our emotional baggage; how freeing it is to take control of it, harness it and say “Bitch, you work for me now”.  It’s working for me, (so far, I’ve evaded the men in white coats) ‘Siren’ has grown into a fully fledged show and has been incredibly received by audiences (who have bought me gifts of songs and vintage brooches!) and critics alike and for that, I give thanks for my multiple broken hearts and wounded pride.

If you are reading this in Adelaide, you have three more chances to catch the show, get your tickets here. If you are in London, I’m coming to London Wonderground in June and you can get your tickets here.

Love.
Lili. x

Lili’s Ladies of the Year 2013

Tags

awards, burlesque, cabaret, costumier, Hebden, Heidi Bang Tidy, Jack Monroe, Jacqui Tomkins, jema hewitt, London Birth Practice, Mal Soomessur, Sophie Orr

As a gender, women spend a lot of time tearing down their fellow sisters, although this trait is mostly propagated by the haridans at the Daily Mail, (wizened old prunes that they are, oops, there I go again). So as an antidote to the Moirs and the Bricks of our fair planet, I thought I’d put forward my list of women (six in total, although it will be five usually!) who I think deserve plaudits this year. Rather than celebrate celebrities, I thought I would acknowledge the women of my acquaintance who I think have really been rather marvellous this year and so without further ado and in no particular order, I give you the inaugural Lili’s Ladies 2013.

Sophie Orr.

In a year which has seen family bereavement, advertising executive, (Evening Standard dontcha know!) Sophie threw her time and resources into organising quite simply the best charity ball that the City of London has seen for an age. A long time supporter of our Armed Forces, Sophie created The Poppy Rocks Ball and raised a fortune for the British Legion. The ball is returning to The City in 2014 and I strongly suggest that you fight for a ticket and support The Poppy Rocks Ball, (there are men in Mess dress, they had spurs. Spurs!!! Honestly, you could have scooped me from the floor!!). Sophie is also the Godmother to Rafferty-Baz and my husband and I couldn’t have chosen better.

Heidi Bang Tidy

This year, burlesque has come under fire from various angles and one of the most high profile was Hebden Bridge Burlesque Festival being denied permission to use the town hall in Hebden for their gala show. The council deemed  that burlesque is ‘demeaning to women’. I’m not sure that the 90% female audience felt the same. Heidi gave them both barrels with protests and petitions and raised huge awareness with reach well beyond the boundary of cabaret and burlesque. The town council looked like fools and Hebden Bridge Burlesque Festival now have their Gala at the Todmorden Hippodrome and have attracted a star-studded line-up including Banbury Cross and Frisky (of Frisky & Mannish fame). Hurrah for Heidi.

Jacqui Tomkins & Mal Soomessur
I had my first baby, at home, in January and I couldn’t imagine doing it without the help of these amazing wise women from the London Birth Practice. I have written extensively about Independent Midwives and the troubles they face with future Government legislation, Mal and Jacqui have been at the forefront of the fight for insurance and they are still fighting for their right to provide gold standard care to women. I will support them all the way.

Jack Monroe

Where do I start with Jack Monroe? It hardly seems worth it for her to be one of my women of the year as she has already achieved an armful of far more prestigious awards and accolades this year. I started the year reading her amazing blog (at it’s best when she gets cross – she’s like a literary hulk and she can tear the Daily Fail to shreds in 300 words) and if you haven’t read it, where have you been? Do it. Now. As the year slips away, she has written a book, appeared on various news/politics shows, presented a petition to Parliament and demanded that they debate food banks, ranked at number 19 on the Independent’s Pink List, been nominated for a Groucho Award, been invited on to a comedy panel show, been subject to at least three hate articles from the Daily mail (idiots!) and so much more. Also, like me, she comes from Essex, which is a cause for celebration in itself when 95% of the rest of the county are orange and hardly clothed. Go Miss Jack, it has been awesome watching your ascendency.

Jema Hewitt

Costumier extraordinaire. Jema has made costumes for me for the last few years, and it is always exciting to see what she creates for me. She created my lime green Chinese silk hosting dress, which is one of my favourite gowns ever. She also finds time to write books on Steampunk frippery and make tricorns and we all know how much I adore a tricorn. Such a talented lady. If you haven’t checked out her Etsy shop, you absolutely should. I’m already looking forward to seeing what Jema and I create together in 2014.

And with that, my ladies for 2013 are done. I’m looking forward to seeing more awesome stuff created, written and produced by even more ladies in 2014.

Yours, in celebration,

Lili

[photos by Deborah Selwood, Louisa Reid Russell, Neil Kendall]

Lili gets shot!

Tags

clothing, Deadly is the Female, Edinburgh Fringe, edinburgh fringe festival, etsy, Fashion, jema hewitt, killer curves, milady de winter, millinery, photographer, showgirl, style, Vintage, vintage lovers, What Katie Did

This week, I was lucky enough to shoot with one of my favourite photographers, Ian Treherne. It was my first shoot back after having Rafferty and I’m still feeling a little bit curvy, so I was concerned about my double chin and lack of cheek bones – thank heavens for shading and contouring.
I needed some photos for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and also for a couple of shows I’m working on so I threw together some costumes (the ones that fit me, anyway!) and went to Ian’s fab little studio about 20 minutes from my house.
Ian shot a photo of me last year which made it onto the front cover of Level 4 Magazine, a mag for local music and other artistic what-not. I adored that picture, so he was a natural choice for me. I also wanted something which wasn’t completely ‘vintage-styled’.
I find that it takes me about 10 minutes to warm up into a shooting rhythm and Ian takes a pause roughly every seven pictures or so but we soon found our way and started to come up with some really fabulous images.
I took along a dress from Deadly Is The Female, a black ruched number which when paired with a What Katie Did Morticia corset, provided me with some killer curves. I also flung on an awesome vintage statement necklace and earrings set. I imagine the photos will have a Mafia Mama attitude to them, as I was channelling ‘Don’t F*ck With Mama la Scala’!! I think that Ian really enjoyed shooting that dress and it’s really interesting how something so simple and black can ooze sexuality.
Then we shot my fabulous purple and green hosting frock which was made for me by the incredible Jema Hewitt.

It’s thoroughly boned which makes sitting down nigh impossible as is bending, turning or even just walking. This made shooting in it quite tricky, but I do hope that we got something amazing, the colours are incredible and the style is great. I wanted something which channelled Milady de Winter from the Three Musketeers and Jema created it perfectly.

Our final pictures featured the most incredible piece of millinery – a hat with a ship a la Marie Antoinette. It’s common knowledge that I adore a tricorn and this is a spectacular example. I found it on Etsy, my gosh, that site is a treasure trove of delicious handmade allsorts! I wanted to use the hat for an image for a new show I’m working on called Siren, it’s a collection of nautically inspired music. I wanted a soft but strong image with the hat centre stage and here is a sneak peek.

I can’t wait to see the rest of the images that Ian took, especially the amazing black dress and I look forward to sharing them with you, too. So for now, this blog is to be continued…
Love Lili