Alongside other stars such Dan Leno and Ada Reeve, Tilley made some of the first sound recordings in England in 1898. She also played the principal boy in a number of pantomimes. At the age of 13 she played Robinson Crusoe at the New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth. She was best known for her titular role in "Dick Whittington", which she played many times. She often performed in male roles in pantomimes such as "Beauty and the Beast" and "Sinbad the Sailor", and occasionally played female parts, such as the Queen of Hearts at the Theatre Royal, Brighton.