CULT performers The Tiger Lillies are to present a darkly twisted new show in early 2014, commissioned by Opera North Projects.

Opening on Tuesday at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, Lulu: A Murder Ballad is based on the story of Lulu, which originated in two Frank Wedekind plays, 1895’s Earth Spirit and 1904’s Pandora’s Box.

Later adapted into the 1929 silent movie Pandora’s Box, starring Louise Brooks at her peak, and then into Alban Berg’s 1937 opera, Lulu, the story is suited to the unconventional performance style of The Tiger Lillies, who left an indelible mark on Playhouse audiences with their Olivier Award-winning “junk opera” Shockheaded Peter in 1998.

Co-produced by Opera North, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Warwick Arts Centre and The Tiger Lillies, this production is part of a growing trend for arts organisations to develop new work in collaboration.

“It’s been a long-standing ambition of Opera North Projects to commission a new piece of work from The Tiger Lillies,” says Opera North Projects director Dominic Gray. “Their reinvention of Lulu will be a memorable, dark, and entertaining addition to the canon of works through which the enigmatic character of Lulu holds sway.

“Developing and supporting new artistic work is both a fundamental part of what Opera North does and a crucial way of maintaining vibrancy across the arts.”

In Lulu: A Murder Ballad, Lulu’s unbridled sex appeal, youth and self-destructiveness combine to make her dangerous, unpredictable and tragic. Circled by both men and women, her journey from street prostitute to the toast of society is told as a kaleidoscopic dance of death, from Berlin to Paris and finally to the dark streets of Jack the Ripper’s London.

The resulting uncompromising musical and visual melodrama combines the castrati-influenced vocals of The Tiger Lillies’ frontman Martyn Jacques with the band’s flamboyant style, atmospheric visuals and contemporary dance.

Taking the familiar narrative, Jacques weaves the tale into a new theatrical song-cycle of 20 songs and interludes. Directed and designed by Mark Holthusen with the use of virtual sets, the show is performed live by The Tiger Lillies with dancer Royal Ballet dancer Laura Caldow as Lulu.

“This project with Opera North has confirmed something that has been fundamental to The Tiger Lillies over the years,” says Martyn Jacques. “Artists and musicians should seek to break down categories and defy definition, rather than conforming to particular genres. Art should be something which belongs to you and comes from your soul.

“Writing the songs for Lulu was hard; I was drawn into a very dark place. All the characters around her are grotesque, so you have to breathe this putrid air. All I can say is, I developed a profound sympathy for Lulu herself – she has very little choice in what happens to her.”

•Lulu: A Murder Ballad premieres at West Yorkshire Playhouse from January 28 to February 1 at 7.45pm nightly and then tours to Coventry, Manchester and Newcastle. Leeds box office: 0113 213 7700 or wyp.org.uk. Please note, the advisory age for this show is 16 upwards.