When the film Burlesque hit our screens in 2010, it seemed to be screaming for an onstage adaptation, or rather fans seemed to be screaming for an onstage adaptation. Sixteen years later, the touring production of Burlesque has made its way to Sheffield promising a titillating night of dance, music, and heart. But did the show live up to the glamorous world of risqué costumes and striking music that captured the hearts of so many nearly two decades ago?
In one word, yes.
Deviating from the original screenplay, the show follows Ali, who longs to find her birth mother and make it as a star. Her mother, Tess, is the owner of a burlesque club in New York, and it is there that the audience is taken on a whirlwind of glittering costumes, dazzling lights, and exhilarating choreography inspired by the likes of Fosse and Jack Cole. Despite the presumably impossible job of filling the shoes, or rather the six-inch stilettos, of the film’s casting, Faye Brookes, playing Tess, commands each scene with a fierceness unmatched. Similarly, Gracie O’Brien (making her professional debut as Ali) enters the stage with a confidence and audacity which she certainly earns throughout the show. Her striking stage presence is matched by her extraordinary vocals, giving Ali a whole new, and just as powerful, voice. Sean, played by the hilarious Ryan Carter, takes the audience from spectacle to spectacle as the emcee for both the club and the musical, effortlessly steering the show without taking away from the main plot. As phenomenal as the principal cast is, for me, the heart of the show lies in the ensemble. To borrow from the musical: they’re ‘hypnotic’. For centuries the world of burlesque has been about performing loud and proud, and the ensemble hit this mark every single time. Never dipping in energy, the ensemble make each dance number a love letter to the world of burlesque, pumping their energy throughout the theatre to the eager crowd. With this impeccable talent, it certainly seems that Burlesque is back and bigger than ever.
However, despite all of the merits of this outstanding cast, the show’s set falls short, often catching the eye, and not in a good way. Behind each performance is a screen displaying stock videos of dancing girls, bright lights and, worst of all, the show’s lyrics. At these points, one’s eyes are inevitably drawn from the performance to the screen behind it. The most distracting example is during the antagonist’s number, ‘Ammo’. Vince, played by Davide Fienauri, is executing the role of villain masterfully, but it is hard to concentrate on this when behind him is what looks like a music video for the character’s own song.
This aside, Burlesque truly lives up to the high-energy, camp extravagance that fans fell in love with back in 2010. From the heart-wrenching ballads to the racy burlesque performances, it is impossible to walk out of the theatre without smiling. Burlesque the musical is a love letter not only to the original film but also to the world of vaudeville and cabaret. In its own words: ‘It’s a life, it’s a style, it’s a need, it’s burlesque.’
Venue: Lyceum Sheffield
Production: Burlesque
Genre: Musical
Book: Steven Antin
Music: Christina Aguilera, Sia, Todrick Hall and Jess Foley
Director: Ben Johnson
Principal Cast: Faye Brookes, Gracie O’Brien, Ryan Carter, Vanesse Ella Young
Running time (including interval): 2 hours 20 minutes
At the Lyceum until 31st October
Photo Credit: Rosie Moore, The Social Sort
Star Rating: 4.5