Burlesque The Musical at Savoy Theatre Review
Photo by Pamela Raith.
Written by Annie for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
The widely discussed Burlesque the Musical, based on the hit 2010 movie starring Christina Aguilera, joins the West End after a broadly well-received run in Manchester and Glasgow last year. Adding to the current trend of screen-to-stage shows, does this “big new musical” live up to the buzz surrounding it?
With new creatives at the helm since its run last year, audiences are introduced to Burlesque like they’ve never seen before; a new cast, new choreo, and new music by Jess Folley & Todrick Hall. With many names having left the show in the past year, from both cast & creative sides, the talk surrounding the show has been louder than any the West End has seen for a while.
The production boasts so much potential, and it is evident it is a pure labour of love; however, sadly, the production falls flat on more than one account. Its claim of being a “big” new musical is not a lie, but it just seems to prioritise being a spectacle over a show with solid foundations. The overall show is impressively larger than life, but it does feel like a mask to cover up the multiple issues the show has under the surface.
The book, by Steve Antin (the previous director), feels confused, with almost too many side storylines intertwining to keep track of - we sadly don’t seem to delve into any character’s stories deep enough to connect on any level deeper than surface.
The love story between Ali (Jess Folley) and Jackson (Paul Jacob French) is rather predictable, and despite a classic love ballad, the “cheesiness” of it all is played into painfully heavily, making it unbearable to watch at times. Jackson’s solo ballad, performed by the ever-impressive French, is a strong song but is turned into a boyband number with three members of the ensemble joining him on stage to perform a Boyzone-esque routine, which entirely detracts from the song and its meaning.
Sadly, this theme of playing into the “cheese” is taken far too far throughout the show. Act One, you can slightly look past it, but Act Two seems to almost make the show a mockery of itself, as if they want to make it a spoof somehow. It’s evident this is Todrick Hall’s humour, but it feels like an important lesson here in quality over quantity; the gags are overdone and leave an unsavoury end production.
This is similarly evident with Tess’s (Orfeh) ex-husband Vince (George Maguire), whose character seems to have no real relevance to the plot due to lack of exploration in the book. His number is also overly playful, making it another silly comedy number, meaning there are very few dynamics within the tracks.
Hall, having composed the majority of the new music, as well as choreographing all the routines, has also taken over from Antin as director. There is no doubt about the love and passion that has been poured into the show, but it feels overly complicated and overproduced. Almost every scene has new scenery, and while Hall’s new short and sweet songs are used often to fill scene changes, they sadly aren’t as slick as you’d hope.
With 16 songs in Act One, and 14 in Act 2, it feels overcrowded. While it is a nice touch to give every Burlesque girl her own number, it leaves the majority of the new music forgettable as there’s such an immense amount to take in. Folley has written an incredible power ballad, “Got It All From You” - which just sets the tone for this woman’s talent from the start. But given the number of other tracks, it is regrettably lost amongst the sheer mass of content the audience must ingest. It’s a shame as Folley’s songwriting and performance are award-winningly impressive, and she deserves her moment. Folley is no doubt a star to watch; her vocals are otherworldly, and I hope to see her shine bright for many years to come.
The ensemble and cast are a force to be reckoned with in terms of talent - a group at the very top of their game, and many can display their talent on the stage. The choreography is at times overly ambitious, and it shows that it is perhaps too much for the show and cast to handle. Hall has ambitious ideas, but some refinement could produce sleek and impressive numbers that shine more than overly complex ones that miss the mark.
As mentioned earlier, with the new music accompanying the scene changes, it was evident some transitions are not quite as slick as intended, as there are a lot of ad-libbed lines throughout the show, which feel almost a homage to the foundations that Titanique are currently benefiting from. However, with so much going on, it feels like an unnecessary addition. Again, inspiration from other shows does not stop there, with a live-streamed scene in Act 2, which doesn’t particularly serve much purpose.
Burlesque The Musical does feel like a production that has so much potential, but just isn’t quite ready for the West End, at least for those who want to see a musical that is impeccably polished and refined from its book through to the opening curtain. However, it is still a very fun evening out. The music is strong, the dancers are undeniably impressive, and the cast is bursting with talent. It's clear the production has substantial backing in terms of budget and support. However, it might benefit from redirecting some of that time, energy, and funding toward refining the show from the ground up.
Burlesque The Musical plays at the Savoy Theatre until 6 September.
★ ★
