Back in 2010, I wrote and article and posted a blog about a then new play called Tilly No-Body: Catastrophes of Love. The play, which is about Tilly Wedekind, the wife of Frank Wedekind - the author of the Lulu plays, is authored and performed by Bella Merlin. I wrote another blog in 2014 about the work when it was performed in Northern California.
Just recently, Bella Merlin contacted me to let me know she has revisited her work and will be performing it in August at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (August 1-25). The author's website for the play can be found at https://www.tillynobody.com
Tilly No-Body is a 60-minute, one-person play inspired by the life and love of Frank Wedekind (Spring Awakening; the Lulu Sex Tragedies) and his muse-wife and actress, Tilly. With 5 original cabaret songs, this love-drama weaves together mischief, magic and poignancy with puppets, circus balls and moments of surprise.
"Why is romantic love so complicated?
Why do we stay in relationships when they're no longer healthy?
What does it mean to be an actor?"
And why a play about Tilly Wedekind? As Bella Merlin said in her email, "I am fascinated with Frank Wedekind, his wife, the role of Lulu, and how potent the imagery of both the Louise Brooks film and the original aesthetic are... " But that's only a small part of the story.
According to the author's website, in the early 1990s, Bella Merlin was cast as Frank Wedekind's Lulu at the Chelsea Centre Theatre, London.
“The role is elusive, almost fantastical. And as part of my research, I discovered the autobiography of Wedekind's wife, Tilly. The book was called Lulu: The Role of My Life, and I imagined that I would discover within its contents the ways in which playing Lulu had launched Tilly into a dramatically successful career. As I was then in my early twenties, I was hoping for the same...”
But the book was written in German. So, clutching her schoolgirl German dictionary, Merlin began the lengthy process of translating it into English.
“Bit by bit, I discovered that Tilly had coined the title for her autobiography because, in fact, Frank had turned her into Lulu in the course of their turbulent marriage. Frank would take parts of their married life, turn them into provocative plays, stage them for public consumption, and expect Tilly to enact the female roles. The boundaries between fact and fiction became increasingly blurred. And Frank became increasingly jealous. It was an absolute powder keg!”
One early write-up about the play, which includes an interview with Bella Merlin, can be found on the loureviews.blog
THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
1 comment:
Thank you so much for featuring TILLY NO-BODY on your blog.
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