photos above: Graham Fudger, Nick Cowell, Hock Khoe, Dee Conway
read about past shows further below ... and check out these interviews:
Read about Peta Lily's long career in this Total Theatre interview.
Inspirations and insights about Lily's work in Sorcha Ra's 50 over 50 interview.
Scroll below for highlights from the show archive.
Peta Lily Company on YouTube here
Parker Dee on YouTube here
Read about Peta Lily's long career in this Total Theatre interview.
Inspirations and insights about Lily's work in Sorcha Ra's 50 over 50 interview.
Scroll below for highlights from the show archive.
Peta Lily Company on YouTube here
Parker Dee on YouTube here
photo: @vladanebo
Brilliant audience on 12 Nov - thank you to my collaborators and thank you Crazy Coqs!
Parker Dee: Ungirlfriended
She left him but he's being such a brave boy. He literally sings his heart out in a Brel-like ballad: ‘Ow, Baby’ and delivers some fresh new twists on pop classics. Delight in his quest to combat Patriarchy through the power of song and snazzy outfits. Watch him teeter back from the edge of the Manosphere, with verve, courage and his hallmark stupidity.
Audiences said:
'Exceptional evening of Drag, Cabaret, Clown and overall theatrical excellence!' 'Absolute genius.'
'Brilliant performance and content.
Incel moment was actually really chilling, as well as hilarious!'
'The guy beside me watched with his mouth open the entire show.'
'Such a beautiful experience! - so magnetic, funny, sharp
but at the same time humble, honest and open.'
'Delightful comic detail. Loved the off-the-cuff adlibs.'
'Hilarious and moving, gorgeous and pink.'
'Wonderful show and character - loved the song choices.'
'Full of delicious clown and mime skills.'
'Fantastic! Absolutely loved it! It. Hilarious and true and so cathartic to see Parker Dee talk about all the patriarchy. Just magical that you turned all that into something to laugh about (and with your love so clearly palpable underneath it all). And how wonderful your body language, your timing, the witty word play!
Everything was so on point.'
Parker is the creation and alter ego of theatremaker Peta Lily with co-directorial assistance by Timothy Michael Dodd and Kelly Burke.
Follow him on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook: @parkerdeeking
#dragking #sensitiveguy #parkerdeeking #comedy #cabaret #drag #parkerdee
It takes a village:
Gratitude to my supporters and collaborators on 'Ungirlfriended':
Timothy Michael Dodd, Kelly Burke, Dana Blackstone, Roy Nicolson, Pete Baynes, Phil Saunders and designer Andie Scott.
Gratitude to my supporters and collaborators for 'Sensitive Guy' and for Parker's baby king days: Andie Scott, Robert Golden, Di Sherlock, Roy Nicolson, Pete Baynes, Joey Robinson, Holly Burt, Phil Saunders, Steve Taylor, Sarah Louise Young, Stephanie Ware, Belinda Chapman, Maud Madlyn and Andrès Zuluaga.
Special mention to @Vlada.Nebo on IG for her Dee-licious photography.
If you want to encourage Parker's exploits (and snazzy clothes) go here.
Parker Dee and Peta Lily were interviewed by Mae Riot on her Screaming Twenties podcast (Spotify and Acast).
Bonus - you can hear Parker's first duet!
Parker Dee: Ungirlfriended
She left him but he's being such a brave boy. He literally sings his heart out in a Brel-like ballad: ‘Ow, Baby’ and delivers some fresh new twists on pop classics. Delight in his quest to combat Patriarchy through the power of song and snazzy outfits. Watch him teeter back from the edge of the Manosphere, with verve, courage and his hallmark stupidity.
Audiences said:
'Exceptional evening of Drag, Cabaret, Clown and overall theatrical excellence!' 'Absolute genius.'
'Brilliant performance and content.
Incel moment was actually really chilling, as well as hilarious!'
'The guy beside me watched with his mouth open the entire show.'
'Such a beautiful experience! - so magnetic, funny, sharp
but at the same time humble, honest and open.'
'Delightful comic detail. Loved the off-the-cuff adlibs.'
'Hilarious and moving, gorgeous and pink.'
'Wonderful show and character - loved the song choices.'
'Full of delicious clown and mime skills.'
'Fantastic! Absolutely loved it! It. Hilarious and true and so cathartic to see Parker Dee talk about all the patriarchy. Just magical that you turned all that into something to laugh about (and with your love so clearly palpable underneath it all). And how wonderful your body language, your timing, the witty word play!
Everything was so on point.'
Parker is the creation and alter ego of theatremaker Peta Lily with co-directorial assistance by Timothy Michael Dodd and Kelly Burke.
Follow him on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook: @parkerdeeking
#dragking #sensitiveguy #parkerdeeking #comedy #cabaret #drag #parkerdee
It takes a village:
Gratitude to my supporters and collaborators on 'Ungirlfriended':
Timothy Michael Dodd, Kelly Burke, Dana Blackstone, Roy Nicolson, Pete Baynes, Phil Saunders and designer Andie Scott.
Gratitude to my supporters and collaborators for 'Sensitive Guy' and for Parker's baby king days: Andie Scott, Robert Golden, Di Sherlock, Roy Nicolson, Pete Baynes, Joey Robinson, Holly Burt, Phil Saunders, Steve Taylor, Sarah Louise Young, Stephanie Ware, Belinda Chapman, Maud Madlyn and Andrès Zuluaga.
Special mention to @Vlada.Nebo on IG for her Dee-licious photography.
If you want to encourage Parker's exploits (and snazzy clothes) go here.
Parker Dee and Peta Lily were interviewed by Mae Riot on her Screaming Twenties podcast (Spotify and Acast).
Bonus - you can hear Parker's first duet!
PARKER DEE: SENSITIVE GUY
Parker Dee is Dee-licious. He’s a caring, sensitive guy – wrangling his privilege, mother worship and father issues. Watch him sissy his cis and serenade the menstrual cycle. Cringe as he turns audience members into his Dee-ciples. Thrill as he wrestles patriarchy into submission using song, dance and snazzy outfits.
This show is humorous and gently transgressive, with a hint of pathos and a lot of stupidity.
Co-directed by Peta Lily and Timothy Michael Dodd.
Parker Dee began life as a digital project – to get a taste of Parker, see the video clips ‘Dee-licious’, ‘Trying Game’ and ‘Period Piece’ on Parker’s YouTube channel: @parkerdeeking.
Audience praise for Parker:
‘Loved this narrative / non-narrative show existing at the intersection of theatre, cabaret and drag – it has a satisfying arc while at the same time being really silly.’
‘Razor-sharp, grounded and hilarious, fantastic show!’
‘A tiny baroque opera of micro-managed self-sympathy, expecting praise just for realising he hasn’t earned it.’
‘Illuminating – allowed me to re-think some of my own 59-year-old-white-male assumptions.’
Parker Dee is Dee-licious. He’s a caring, sensitive guy – wrangling his privilege, mother worship and father issues. Watch him sissy his cis and serenade the menstrual cycle. Cringe as he turns audience members into his Dee-ciples. Thrill as he wrestles patriarchy into submission using song, dance and snazzy outfits.
This show is humorous and gently transgressive, with a hint of pathos and a lot of stupidity.
Co-directed by Peta Lily and Timothy Michael Dodd.
Parker Dee began life as a digital project – to get a taste of Parker, see the video clips ‘Dee-licious’, ‘Trying Game’ and ‘Period Piece’ on Parker’s YouTube channel: @parkerdeeking.
Audience praise for Parker:
‘Loved this narrative / non-narrative show existing at the intersection of theatre, cabaret and drag – it has a satisfying arc while at the same time being really silly.’
‘Razor-sharp, grounded and hilarious, fantastic show!’
‘A tiny baroque opera of micro-managed self-sympathy, expecting praise just for realising he hasn’t earned it.’
‘Illuminating – allowed me to re-think some of my own 59-year-old-white-male assumptions.’
'Topless' reboot 2017:
Totally in awe of @peta_lily #topless! I'm lost for words. Go see her and be transformed by her story #fangirl - @LucyAveryWrites
Went to see @petalily "Topless" in Hackney last night, on marriage break-up, a younger lover, breast cancer, a parent's death, all served up with panache, flair and a tantalisingly wicked wit! A masterclass in physical #comedy, #comic timing, the female voice and emotional honesty. - @Lucylovescircus on Instagram
LucyLovesCircus blog review click here.
Blog post on the making of here.
Totally in awe of @peta_lily #topless! I'm lost for words. Go see her and be transformed by her story #fangirl - @LucyAveryWrites
Went to see @petalily "Topless" in Hackney last night, on marriage break-up, a younger lover, breast cancer, a parent's death, all served up with panache, flair and a tantalisingly wicked wit! A masterclass in physical #comedy, #comic timing, the female voice and emotional honesty. - @Lucylovescircus on Instagram
LucyLovesCircus blog review click here.
Blog post on the making of here.
Imperfection 2014
Courageous honesty and big subjects discussed with a light, sharp touch. Crackling rhythmic verse and Lily's intimate performing presence plunges audiences in to an all-waving, all-drowning look at inner and outer life where the mundane is revealed to contain the mythic. Dionysian worship rubs shoulders with a Hymn to Blasphemy and Charles Bukowski meets Japanese outsider art. Dive in!
incisive and inventive wit … guiding her audience away from unnecessary sentiment but not losing a sense of poignancy - The Scotsman
'smart, witty, funny, clever & thought provoking' ● 'hit me in all the right places' ● 'astounding'
Photos by Robert Piwko here.
poster portrait: Lindsay Maggs,
overlay image (original by Colin Watkeys)
Courageous honesty and big subjects discussed with a light, sharp touch. Crackling rhythmic verse and Lily's intimate performing presence plunges audiences in to an all-waving, all-drowning look at inner and outer life where the mundane is revealed to contain the mythic. Dionysian worship rubs shoulders with a Hymn to Blasphemy and Charles Bukowski meets Japanese outsider art. Dive in!
incisive and inventive wit … guiding her audience away from unnecessary sentiment but not losing a sense of poignancy - The Scotsman
'smart, witty, funny, clever & thought provoking' ● 'hit me in all the right places' ● 'astounding'
Photos by Robert Piwko here.
poster portrait: Lindsay Maggs,
overlay image (original by Colin Watkeys)
Chastity Belt - solo show 2012-16
Funny and provoking show set on the battle ground between trust and lust. Part comic confession, part one-woman Lysistrata. Directed by Di Sherlock (‘The World’s Wife’).
Enchanting, funny and poignant. Lily deals skillfully with women's issues which are not spoken about enough – Chastity Belt is edgy, charismatic, witty and thought provoking. Linda Marlowe
Peta Lily … one-woman whirlwind. Chastity Belt is as up-the-wall as it is on-point … personal, historical, mythical and rhythmically raunchy. Localiize, Hong Kong
Check it out yourself on the Youtube Channel.
LucyLovesCircus blog review from the 2016 run at Lion & Unicorn click here
photo: Jake Mc Lellan, graphics, Jamie Zubairi
iN/Vocation - solo show 2010-14
Lily talks about how she gave up performing and went on a journey that was simultaneously spiritual and commercial. Cathartic and positive. Directed by Di Sherlock. Produced in 2014 by Giant Olive Theatre Company, originally produced by the ladida group run by Jimmy Jewell.
This is a touching, funny, informative and very warming show. Remote Goat
Poignant … moving ... a lot of fun. Lily is a deeply skilled performer, equally adept at lampooning corporate caricatures, singing seductively, changing character instantaneously and all the while making a serious point … Lily has a way of reflecting very sharply this modern complexity. Adam E Smith, online reviewer
surprisingly honest … incredibly dynamic … provocative … a wild adventure into a strange world. James Waygood whatspeenseen.co.uk
photo: Nick Cowell
Lily talks about how she gave up performing and went on a journey that was simultaneously spiritual and commercial. Cathartic and positive. Directed by Di Sherlock. Produced in 2014 by Giant Olive Theatre Company, originally produced by the ladida group run by Jimmy Jewell.
This is a touching, funny, informative and very warming show. Remote Goat
Poignant … moving ... a lot of fun. Lily is a deeply skilled performer, equally adept at lampooning corporate caricatures, singing seductively, changing character instantaneously and all the while making a serious point … Lily has a way of reflecting very sharply this modern complexity. Adam E Smith, online reviewer
surprisingly honest … incredibly dynamic … provocative … a wild adventure into a strange world. James Waygood whatspeenseen.co.uk
photo: Nick Cowell
Show Archive
MiDRiff - solo show 2002-2003
Stand-up theatre - about 'choices and chakras, courage and cowardice, flesh and blood and bellies.' UK and Hong Kong. Directed by Jen Heyes.
Calling Peta Lily’s act stand-up comedy is like describing the Bank of China Building as an office block or Miles Davis a trumpeter … Lily’s polished performance is Fringe theatre at its best. South China Morning Post
For those uninitiated in the world of theatre, Peta Lily is just about the sexiest solo performer about. This ‘crackpot glamourpuss’ mixes comedy, confession, song and sassiness in a truly compelling performance … never fails to entertain. Make sure you catch her next time she is in town. Live Magazine
photo: Graham Fudger, Graphics Jamie Zubairi
Stand-up theatre - about 'choices and chakras, courage and cowardice, flesh and blood and bellies.' UK and Hong Kong. Directed by Jen Heyes.
Calling Peta Lily’s act stand-up comedy is like describing the Bank of China Building as an office block or Miles Davis a trumpeter … Lily’s polished performance is Fringe theatre at its best. South China Morning Post
For those uninitiated in the world of theatre, Peta Lily is just about the sexiest solo performer about. This ‘crackpot glamourpuss’ mixes comedy, confession, song and sassiness in a truly compelling performance … never fails to entertain. Make sure you catch her next time she is in town. Live Magazine
photo: Graham Fudger, Graphics Jamie Zubairi
Topless - solo show 1999-2000
Stand-up theatre - about 'life and death and love and hate and sex and sticking plaster and breasts.' UK, Greece, Australia.
a macabre comic style...her accounts of failed relationships, low self-esteem, and her brush with breast cancer...are both hilarious in their frankness and moving. ..with her consistently high energy and warm, engaging stage presence, Peta Lily captures and maintains the attention of her audience throughout. Total Theatre
a talented comic, she takes the departure of her husband and the illness and death of her mother and turns them into something which is not just entertaining, but is even funny Edinburgh Evening News
a refreshingly comic, intelligent and informative exploration of the turbulent events in one woman's life crisis...consistently funny...Lily recounts her experiences with an incisive and inventive wit...guiding her audience away from unnecessary sentiment but not losing a sense of poignancy The Scotsman
instead of erotica, Lily gives her audience something far more outrageous and personal ... told with consistent humour. Lily has lightness of touch, instinctive wit ... one of those rubber faces ... and a silky singing voice. Lily manages ... to keep them laughing right up to the end. The Stage
Do see her perform her uniformly funny, yet unabashedly realistic play about ageing, breasts, cancer, sex, music, movies, life and death. Totally HK (Hong Kong)
Solo Shows 1983 - 1988
One of the main forces of the Physical Theatre movement in Britain, Lily toured as a soloist with many Arts Council funded productions: Red Heart 1983, Whole Parts 1984, Frightened of Nothing 1987, Wendy Darling 1988 (FRINGE FIRST, Edinburgh Festival), Hiroshima Mon Amour 1991. Always breaking new ground, Lily writes and performs original works combining her talents as actor with elements of dance, Commedia, mime and world theatre, while always seeking to entertain her audiences.
a mesmerising performer City Limits
(Hiroshima Mon Amour is) about the end of the world and the power of kitsch...extremely funny Time Out
wistful, enchanting and wonderful The Scotsman
Subtly sexy, legitimately violent and ultimately haunting Time Out
Bold, gutsy and a brave new adventure in style The Stage
pure unashamed enjoyment and socially relevant satire Spare Rib
something of a crackpot glamourpuss: she makes up her own rules Time Out
Peta Lily & Co Shows: Beg! 1992 & Low Fidelity 1993
Beg! - a two-handed physical theatre thriller, drawing on the influences of Cocteau, Cronenberg and Almadovar, a lurid piece about a female psycho-killer, haunted by the tale of Red-Riding Hood. Arts Council funded.
Peta Lily's tour de force probes the dark recesses of the mind where sexual fantasies take root, fed on a diet of popular culture. Compelling, inventive, magic, shocking The Independent
very haunting ... (Lily is) always a hypnotically demanding performer City Limits
a compelling piece of theatre, visually stunning and beautifully written Edinburgh Evening News
Low Fidelity - a two handed farce with breakneck dialogue, live sound effects, stage fighting and biting satire. A married couple behaving badly - their lives and careers explode when they come into contact with a voluptuous person called Gloria. Arts Council funded.
Electric ... raunchy ... manic energy ... funny where it hurts ... the kind of entertainment that gives physical theatre a good name The Guardian
Lily has also performed with Claire Dowie in All over Lovely and with the David Glass Ensemble in Popeye and Gormenghast
Stand-up theatre - about 'life and death and love and hate and sex and sticking plaster and breasts.' UK, Greece, Australia.
a macabre comic style...her accounts of failed relationships, low self-esteem, and her brush with breast cancer...are both hilarious in their frankness and moving. ..with her consistently high energy and warm, engaging stage presence, Peta Lily captures and maintains the attention of her audience throughout. Total Theatre
a talented comic, she takes the departure of her husband and the illness and death of her mother and turns them into something which is not just entertaining, but is even funny Edinburgh Evening News
a refreshingly comic, intelligent and informative exploration of the turbulent events in one woman's life crisis...consistently funny...Lily recounts her experiences with an incisive and inventive wit...guiding her audience away from unnecessary sentiment but not losing a sense of poignancy The Scotsman
instead of erotica, Lily gives her audience something far more outrageous and personal ... told with consistent humour. Lily has lightness of touch, instinctive wit ... one of those rubber faces ... and a silky singing voice. Lily manages ... to keep them laughing right up to the end. The Stage
Do see her perform her uniformly funny, yet unabashedly realistic play about ageing, breasts, cancer, sex, music, movies, life and death. Totally HK (Hong Kong)
Solo Shows 1983 - 1988
One of the main forces of the Physical Theatre movement in Britain, Lily toured as a soloist with many Arts Council funded productions: Red Heart 1983, Whole Parts 1984, Frightened of Nothing 1987, Wendy Darling 1988 (FRINGE FIRST, Edinburgh Festival), Hiroshima Mon Amour 1991. Always breaking new ground, Lily writes and performs original works combining her talents as actor with elements of dance, Commedia, mime and world theatre, while always seeking to entertain her audiences.
a mesmerising performer City Limits
(Hiroshima Mon Amour is) about the end of the world and the power of kitsch...extremely funny Time Out
wistful, enchanting and wonderful The Scotsman
Subtly sexy, legitimately violent and ultimately haunting Time Out
Bold, gutsy and a brave new adventure in style The Stage
pure unashamed enjoyment and socially relevant satire Spare Rib
something of a crackpot glamourpuss: she makes up her own rules Time Out
Peta Lily & Co Shows: Beg! 1992 & Low Fidelity 1993
Beg! - a two-handed physical theatre thriller, drawing on the influences of Cocteau, Cronenberg and Almadovar, a lurid piece about a female psycho-killer, haunted by the tale of Red-Riding Hood. Arts Council funded.
Peta Lily's tour de force probes the dark recesses of the mind where sexual fantasies take root, fed on a diet of popular culture. Compelling, inventive, magic, shocking The Independent
very haunting ... (Lily is) always a hypnotically demanding performer City Limits
a compelling piece of theatre, visually stunning and beautifully written Edinburgh Evening News
Low Fidelity - a two handed farce with breakneck dialogue, live sound effects, stage fighting and biting satire. A married couple behaving badly - their lives and careers explode when they come into contact with a voluptuous person called Gloria. Arts Council funded.
Electric ... raunchy ... manic energy ... funny where it hurts ... the kind of entertainment that gives physical theatre a good name The Guardian
Lily has also performed with Claire Dowie in All over Lovely and with the David Glass Ensemble in Popeye and Gormenghast
Photo: Douglas Robertson
Wendy Darling - solo show.
'Wendy Darling' revisits J.M. Barrie's haunting 'Peter Pan' from the point of view of a grown-up Wendy, returning to her childhood nursery. The real-life inspirations for the boys all died in the great war. Wendy Darling looks at the beauty and the violence of Neverland, loss, death and tells a tale of impossible love.
Premiered at Theatre Workshop in Edinburgh winning a Fringe First that year and later performed in Netherlands and up and down the UK including Winchester Gantry, Salisbury Arts Centre and the ICA London. Created by Peta Lily andRex Doyle. Character-relevant Choreography by Kate Dalton. Lighting Design by Samantha Lee. Soundtrack by Nick Dwyer.
Subtly sexy, legitimately violent and ultimately haunting Time Out
wistful, enchanting and wonderful The Scotsman
‘Mime, dance, music and the spoken word fuse to produce a vivid … sometimes frightening picture … totally enthralling … well-conceived, well-directed, and brilliantly performed’ Salisbury Journal
Coming soon to the YouTube Channel
'Wendy Darling' revisits J.M. Barrie's haunting 'Peter Pan' from the point of view of a grown-up Wendy, returning to her childhood nursery. The real-life inspirations for the boys all died in the great war. Wendy Darling looks at the beauty and the violence of Neverland, loss, death and tells a tale of impossible love.
Premiered at Theatre Workshop in Edinburgh winning a Fringe First that year and later performed in Netherlands and up and down the UK including Winchester Gantry, Salisbury Arts Centre and the ICA London. Created by Peta Lily andRex Doyle. Character-relevant Choreography by Kate Dalton. Lighting Design by Samantha Lee. Soundtrack by Nick Dwyer.
Subtly sexy, legitimately violent and ultimately haunting Time Out
wistful, enchanting and wonderful The Scotsman
‘Mime, dance, music and the spoken word fuse to produce a vivid … sometimes frightening picture … totally enthralling … well-conceived, well-directed, and brilliantly performed’ Salisbury Journal
Coming soon to the YouTube Channel
