'Tis Pity

'Tis Pity was a distinctive new work presented by Victorian Opera in February 2017 at the Melbourne Recital Centre as part of their season of contemporary creations. Composed and written by Richard Mills, with direction by Cameron Menzies and prominent performance by international cabaret star Meow Meow alongside tenor Kanen Breen and dancers, the piece was described as an operatic fantasia on selling the skin and the teeth — a vibrant song cycle tracing the world's oldest profession in ten contrasting vignettes from antiquity to the present day. Blending opera, cabaret and theatrical storytelling, 'Tis Pity used eclectic musical styles and inventive staging to explore themes of sexuality, commerce and agency with humour and musical flair, supported by the rich orchestral textures of Orchestra Victoria.