Review: Burlesque The Musical by Nina Jervis-Green

September 30, 2026

Thanks to Nina Jervis-Green from www.ninathewriter.com for this review.

Burlesque – or neo-burlesque, with stripping – was a craze in the late 2000s. Back then, a slew of local bars held women-only lessons or themed nights, and from these my friends and I know one important thing: burlesque can be extremely tacky when done wrong.

Happily, Burlesque the Musical does it right. The staging, the lighting, the music and (what there are of) the fabulous costumes – even the wigs! – are all tastefully done, yet at the same time they are brazenly, show-stoppingly maximalist. This show is based on Steven Antin’s 2010 film, which starred Christina Aguilera and Cher. Along with superstar Sia, Christina’s responsible for some of the show’s music and lyrics, and let’s just say that if you’re a fan of her ‘Lady Marmalade’ era, this show is very much for you.

What of the story, you may ask? We meet Ali (Gracie O’Brien, in her professional stage debut), a small-town waitress who’s just been kicked out of her church choir for being “too loud”. She’s off to New York to track down her birth mother, Tess (Faye Brookes of Corrie fame) who, as it turns out, runs a burlesque lounge.

Unable to tell the abrasive Tess who she really is, Ali starts working in the burlesque lounge as a waitress… but hold on! She can sing, can’t she? That might come in handy later on, especially when some of the burlesque performers are the opposite of reliable, and especially since Tess is drowning in debt.

For a show so tightly packed with musical numbers, the singing has to be good. It is: without exception every cast member is pitch-perfect. O’Brien in particular evokes Christina at her powerful best, and as the lounge’s emcee, Sean, Ryan Carter is outstanding – sequin-encrusted, effervescent, and brimming with sass. Oh, and there’s even a nod to burlesque’s heyday, with a cheeky Dita Von Teese-style performance (by Freya Baddeley and Kizzi Pink Simpson as twins Peaches and Pearl) in a Martini glass.

Where this show falls down is in the writing. It’s hard to root for any of the characters as they’re so hazily sketched (Tess’s dastardly ex-husband Vince, gamely played by Davide Fienauri, has a distinct ‘cartoon villain’ quality), while the dialogue is flatter than day-old champagne. When every scene feels like a mad dash to the next number, the story can’t truly develop, so as glittering as all those numbers are – and they really are! – by the end of Act One I felt like I needed more.

Yet Burlesque the Musical is a high-quality production, and the super-talented cast absolutely give it their all. The closing number, Show Me How You Burlesque, is a glitz-drenched roof-raiser, and there’s plenty here for those keen to relive the comparatively carefree days of the late 2000s, from cheeky boyband montages to retro ringtones.

Steven Antin says his show is for, “anyone who’s ever stood at the edge of something terrifying and beautiful and fought to see their dream fully realised.” That isn’t quite what I took from it, but if those words stir your soul – and you love the unmistakable confidence and heady glamour of an accomplished burlesque performance – then you could be in for a spectacular evening.