Theatre Review: Burlesque The Musical

Burlesque The Musical is the hottest new show hitting London's West End for a limited run, but it's a must-see show for any theatre fan.

I'm writing another 'Watch' review for this blog post, following my previous two on Destination X and My Oxford Year. However, whilst it is three in a row, I just had to write this review and share it with you all.

Last weekend, I went to London with a friend to watch Burlesque The Musical. I've been a fan of the movie, starring Christina Aguilera, for a while and loved the soundtrack.

It was no surprise that when Burlesque The Musical was announced as playing in Manchester that I desperately wanted it to come to London. And when it was announced that it would be coming to London, I bought tickets right away.

I couldn't wait to see it, and it did not disappoint. So, here is my review of Burlesque The Musical, currently playing at The Savoy Theatre, with comparison notes to the film.

Review of Burlesque The Musical

Genre: Rom-Com Musical

Rating: 5/5

Burlesque The Musical is based on the 2010 movie, written by Steven Antin. Whilst the premise of the musical is the same as the movie, there are some differences, which, whilst I loved the movie, I think make the musical stage show ten times better.

The stage show follows the story of Ali Rose, a young woman from Iowa, who learns the real identity of her birth mother. She goes in search of her in New York and discovers she owns the Burlesque Lounge. In a bid to tell Tess that she's her mother, Ali gets a job as a waitress at the club, eventually working her way up to being a dancer.

Whilst there, she rooms with the bartender, Jackson, and the two slowly develop feelings for each other. However, things don't go as smoothly as planned when Nikki, one of the main dancers, begins to stir up trouble along with Vince, Tess's ex-husband.

The original movie was set in Los Angeles and didn't involve a search for a birth mother. It also didn't include the character Marcus Gerber, played by Eric Dane.

However, despite the differences, I absolutely loved Burlesque The Musical. I am still a huge fan of the original movie; it will always be enjoyable to watch, but the stage musical was hands down one of, if not the, best musicals I've ever seen.

And here's why.

Credit: WriteWatchWork

Credit: WriteWatchWork

Steven Antin and Todrick Hall are creative masterminds. As a scriptwriting student, I would love to pick their brains and ask them questions on how they crafted a new storyline and made it more modern — there were references to Coldplay's concert, Tate McCrae, and TikTok trends — but kept the essence of the original.

The stage show was full of glitz and glam, and brought to the forefront themes of family, friendship and true happiness. This was achieved through the incredible cast, set designs, costumes, and the way the actors moved around the stage.

I loved watching how effortlessly the cast danced, but also how they moved between scenes with different furniture. It was great to see their portrayal of a moving bus with nothing more than a few chairs and a video background.

Everything about the musical works so well.

Jess Folley is an incredible woman. Her voice is out of this world — I actually think I prefer her versions of the Burlesque songs. The range Jess has and the control...just wow! Plus, I know she wrote some original songs for Burlesque The Musical, including Got It All From You, which was a gorgeous number.

She was amazing as Ali Rose, and I loved watching her perform.

Todrick Hall, as I said above, is a creative mastermind, but watching him perform on stage was something else. Not only did he have a hand in creating the musical, but he also stole the show through his characters of Sean and Miss Loretta.

His characterisation of those two was perfect. He was such a comical character and just delivered lines flawlessly that had the audience in stitches. It felt at times that Todrick was ad-libbing as well, which made it even better.

Paul French, who played Jackson, was another standout member of the cast. Previously, he's played Kenickie in Grease, and he brought with him some of that natural charm. I preferred Paul's portrayal of Jack's character and his voice...

There's one song from the original movie that was made into a duet in the musical. That is Bound To You, which is a slow, romantic song. In Burlesque The Musical, Paul started the song and Jess continued it, but I can still hear Paul's opening lines to the song, and I definitely prefer that version of Bound To You.

Credit: WriteWatchWork

Credit: WriteWatchWork

Now, I could go on and on and list every single cast member because they all did a fantastic job. Everyone deserved the huge applause they received both during and after the performance.

I loved how minor characters from the film, like Vince, were given a bigger role in the musical. I also enjoyed how the musical had a more structured focus with Ali's search for her birth mother.

It made it more emotional and allowed the audience to become invested, rather than having her just want to be a star on stage. For me I preferred that storyline because it added more complexity to the characters and overall story.

Also, I loved the diversity within the show with a mixture of races, genders, and sizes. It made me feel more represented, which is only a good thing.

However, I do have one bug to bear.

I need the cast of Burlesque The Musical to record and publish the original cast recording of the full soundtrack. Right now.

I absolutely loved the soundtrack to this musical, and I loved all the new songs too. But there isn't a recording available for the public to stream/download/buy.

Usually, after I've seen a musical, I'll listen to the soundtrack again and again, but for Burlesque, I can only listen to the original movie soundtrack. That is amazing, don't get me wrong, but there were so many more songs in the stage show that were brought to life by the cast.

I would love to listen to Jess Folley's original songs and her versions of Tough Lover, etc., so if anyone from Burlesque The Musical reads this, please record the soundtrack.

So, that is my review of Burlesque The Musical. A stage show full of glitz, glamour, and sequins that is funny, sexy, and heart-warming.

I hope that if you get to see the show, you love it! And if you don't, hopefully it'll come to the West End again for a longer run, and you can grab some tickets.

Until next time...