Review: Burlesque - The Musical (Savoy Theatre)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️

The West End may be inundated with musicals adapted from movies at the moment, but there’s still room for one more to sneak in for a very short run, and this particular show has been a long time coming. After try-out runs in Manchester and Glasgow last year. Burlesque finally hits the West End for an express eight-week run, sandwiching itself between Mean Girls and Paddington, but would this production be as big and fabulous as it promised?

Based (and I use that term loosely) on the 2010 movie starring Christina Aguilera and Cher, Burlesque tells the story of Ali, who heads to New York City in search of her mother, but finds a burlesque club in the process, where she discovers her true passion, and potentially changes her whole life in the process.

With Steven Antin, the original writer of the movie, returning to pen the book for the stage adaptation, you would expect a quality that matches that of its screen counterpart, so it is even more perplexing that Burlesque proves to be so incohesive in its execution. The story has been completely changed from the movie, with new characters and others that no longer exist. Making changes from the movie for a stage adaptation is no new thing, and I often think it’s unfair to compare the different versions. However, with such substantial changes, it becomes increasingly difficult to find much that resembles the original movie, in a story that feels like it exists in the same world, rather than being an adaptation. The issue is these changes make a story that jumps all over the place, particularly with the main mother and daughter narrative - this should form the heart of the story, but is occasionally referenced, and then seemingly forgotten about, with more focus used to set up whatever the next skit is.

Burlesque also fills itself with references to other musicals, but this proves overdone with nods to Hairspray and Chicago seemingly existing for no other reason than to elicit an easy response from the audience. The problem is that this showcases the unoriginality of the writing. Whether it is a deliberate tribute or a huge coincidence, the second musical number, ‘Something’s Got A Hold On Me’ is near-identical to the opening scene of Tina and really isn’t subtle in its “borrowing” of ideas. Also included are pop culture references, with an unnecessarily shoehorned-in moment referencing that viral Coldplay video from last week, complete with the lead cast member forced to break as if she didn’t know it was coming. Elements like that cheapened the production and gave it a feeling more like a pantomime or a drag show, as opposed to the big West End show it advertises itself as. I’m half-surprised they didn’t manage to find a way to reference Jet2 holidays, though who knows what tomorrow’s performance will bring?

There has been a large change in the creative team since its run last year and this West End transfer, and it does become overwhelmingly obvious that Burlesque wasn’t confident in what exactly it wanted to be, or how it could get there. This was very clearly a case of clashing visions and styles through creatives, all throwing their ideas together in the hopes that it would make something that sticks. Instead, what has transpired is the complete opposite, with a show so jarring and all over the place, it was disappointing to see something so haphazard on a stage as prestigious as the Savoy Theatre.

Previews are a good chance to see what is working and what isn’t within a production, to get it ironed out and in the best possible shape for press night, but it is very telling that the show has been changed so much that the song list in the programme is not an accurate reflection of the current state of the show, though credit where its due if the creative team have listened to initial feedback in the previews and acted based on it. My hope is they may be able to take something positive from this review as well. The standout number from the movie ‘You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me’ was cut from the West End initially, but is now back in the show, albeit in a shortened form in a real highlight, expertly performed by star Orfeh that had me questioning why it was ever cut in the first place - when you have a song as brilliant as that at your disposal, use it for all it is worth. Though the song that I believe was replacing it, ‘Masterpiece’ has now been cut, despite Orfeh promoting the show by performing it at West End Live last month.

I don’t like to single people out for the failings of a show, but given that Todrick Hall has inserted himself into every aspect of the production, it is very hard to critique the production without talking about him and the multiple failings on his part that have led to the multiple shortcomings of Burlesque. As well as starring in the show, Todrick has also composed the lion’s share of new musical numbers. Not only that, he is now the director and choreographer. Having given himself so many jobs to do, I was half-expecting to see him selling ice creams in the interval. While Todrick is undoubtedly talented, he has spread himself far too thinly, and that can clearly be seen across the board for his responsibilities.

New musical numbers he has composed are just not of the quality you would expect, though there are a few exceptions that showcase his strengths as a writer. Similarly, his choreography shows moments of promise but has suffered from time limitations, meaning several moments fall flat. The biggest issue from Todrick’s multiple roles is in the questionable choices made in his direction. Though he has mentioned circumstances that led him to take the role of director when he wasn’t meant to, it does feel like this was a show on a scale that required somebody with proven experience, so that obvious issues seen in this production could be avoided. An overuse of a clothes rail for cast members to appear behind is overdone, pointless live-filming, blocking that takes no account for sightlines, and a series of increasingly ridiculous choices all signal his limitations as a director. Had someone else directed this, I truly believe Burlesque would be in a much stronger state.

The other problem with wearing so many hats in this show is that Todrick has given himself too much power, meaning that nobody has been able to say no to him. This culminates on a line in the show where he says, “My back hurts… from carrying this show”. Though it was tongue-in-cheek, it was also quite insulting and detrimental to the other hardworking people in the show. One man does not make a show, especially one on this level, and that can be clearly seen in the shortcomings of Burlesque. From watching Burlesque, it becomes abundantly clear that Todrick Hall’s biggest fan is Todrick Hall, and the entire audience must agree he is a clear genius in every respect and should be commended for that. Todrick is clearly talented, but even someone with a much better track record than his would have struggled to wear four very different hats for this production, and the fact he has taken it all on without thought for the repercussions is very telling of not just his nature, but that of others involved with the production.

Though the story should focus on Ali and Tess, it now feels like Todrick is the main character, in his many guises. Inserting himself in scenes where he has no business being and taking on multiple roles, he even sabotages one tender moment in his quest to make Burlesque “The Todrick Show”. Less is more is not a concept Todrick has attempted with this production, and while I have appreciated his talents in previous shows, he over-egged it this time around, and his attempts to compete with the two leading ladies only accentuated the weaknesses - something he would have realised had he taken a step back and put the show first over his ego. He seems to have based his character on a mix between Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge and the Emcee in Cabaret but it just doesn’t work.

So why is Burlesque a 2-star show and not a 1-star show? That is solely down to the two stars that lead the story. Orfeh steps into the large shoes of Cher to take on the role of Tess. Though she has to deal with uneven writing, a questionable backstory and inconsistent character traits (I’m unsure why they felt the need to make her homophobic/transphobic), she more than makes up for it, elevating the subpar material with her strong stage presence and powerful vocals, bringing the house down on ‘You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me’ and one of the newer numbers in Act Two.

The other star of the show is newcomer Jess Folley, having the unenviable task of following executive producer Christina Aguilera in the main role of Ali. Again, suffering from a character that has been messed with too much, such is the weight of her talent that it becomes far less noticeable, and the show becomes more enjoyable in the process. The new song she has contributed to the musical, ‘Got It All From You’ is an early standout, showcasing the full range of Folley’s talents, and giving the audience the first of many tastes of her sensational vocals. A beautiful rendition of movie highlight ’Bound To You’ signified how different this show could have been if certain aspects had been reigned in and one creative vision agreed on. The stars aligned on this one number, midway through the second Act, before the chaos returned, almost like the calm before the storm.

Elsewhere in the cast, Paul Jacob French tries to make do with an underwritten part as Jackson, while the supremely talented George Maguire is under-utilised as Vince in one of the more bizarre characterisations, with the choice to unnecessarily show live filming of his climactic number and follow him leaving the theatre a la Sunset Boulevard was not as clever as it thinks it is and was more eye-roll inducing. Asha Parker-Wallace gets a couple of moments to shine as Nikki, while Jake Dupree gets a memorable turn as Trey/Chardonnay, although their journey to self-discovery lacks any sort of nuance or subtlety.

The movie Burlesque had an incredible soundtrack of killer songs, so it is surprising to see the few that have made it into the stage version from the film have been tampered with so much. Not having Ali begin ‘Bound To You’ almost ruined what would go on to be one of the highlights of both the movie and the show, before she managed to pull it back, while bringing new song ‘Bad Girl’ against existing number ‘Good Girl’ was so chaotic and unsatisfying, it was a disservice to the original. 

Though several new numbers do stand up on their own, including the aforementioned ‘Got It All From You’, the majority of them pale in comparison. The boyband number ‘Natalie’ is so ill-advised, it should have never survived the workshop stage of this musical, ‘Wagon Wheel Watusi’ attempts to do its own version of Hamilton and falls apart in the process, almost bordering on parody, while ‘What Are Clothes’ and ‘Don’t Make Me Sing’ should have been cut or at least heavily tweaked to improve their nature. The audacity to follow such a striking number like ‘Bound To You’ with a number as pedestrian as ‘Cookie’ speaks volumes of the lack of vision or even awareness that lurks beneath the surface of Burlesque, while an overlong pastiche to Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ has no business being in a show such as this.

While this is a largely negative review, Burlesque isn’t without its positives - they just prove harder to find than you may hope. A strong set design from Nate Bertone, complete with a gorgeous proscenium arch, has plenty of potential, although this is never quite met through the choices in direction. Some great uses of lighting from Rory Beaton complement the bigger numbers, such as the strong Act Two opener ‘Express’ (that I personally felt would have been a much stronger Act One closer). Not every design element is quite as successful, however, with the costumes not up to the standard you would expect.

Though I had heard whisperings of things from Burlesque, I was determined to head into this show unbiased and with a blank canvas in the hopes that I would love the show. I never enjoy it when I don’t love a show, especially one that I have been so excited about since I first spoke about it to one of its former producers several years ago. Sadly, I couldn’t overlook the many shortcomings and failures of the production, which I believe stem from a lack of cohesion from the writer and director, and a creative vision that is all over the place, never knowing what it wanted to be.

Of course, theatre is subjective, and the rapturous applause from many others in the audience at the same performance as me would confirm this is certainly not a universal opinion. I truly believe had I been watching purely for fun as a theatre lover and not had to switch the critical side of my brain on, I would have enjoyed it a lot more, but it became impossible to not notice the faults, sadly of which there were many.

I had always wanted to see a version of the movie Burlesque on stage, and given how much this story has deviated from the film, I still do. Though I’m sure audiences are going to love this production, it really could have been so much better. Though it is only doing a limited run in the West End, I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of Burlesque. My only suggestion would be that perhaps, ahead of its future life, it could take a bit of time to work out how to simultaneously show a little more and show a little less.

Burlesque plays at the Savoy Theatre until 6th September. Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/musical/burlesque-musical-tickets 

Photos by Pamela Raith