- In
- On July 30, 2025
Burlesque the musical has officially finished it’s previews and has had their opening night at the Savoy Theatre. The show opened to some controversy online after there was a big change in the creative team after the director and Choreographer left the production which meant Todrick Hall who was starring in the show then took on both roles. The opening preview also generated some buzz for starting quite late and ending after 11pm despite the original runtime. Now that the press night has happened and the reviews are in the show is showing it’s true merits.
The Guardian ★★★★★
“What a tremendous breath of fresh air. Amid the indefatigable rise of movies cynically re-spun for the stage, this musical adaptation of the 2010 film … goes its own eccentric way.”
“Todrick Hall’s choreography is a sensation, with jaw-dropping athleticism, balletic moves and circus acrobatics, while Marco Marco’s “more is more” costumes deserve an award.”
“The show as a whole bares it artifice every now and again, but without indulging in knowingness.”
“The whole thing is very RuPaul. There is no lip-syncing, as in the film, but enough leather, feathers, sequins and disco ball lighting for a season of Drag Race.”
“It is over-adrenalised and messy in its plotting, but you forgive the blips. This is a production stuffed with personality, spectacle and wow factor. Come for the nostalgia, perhaps, but stay for the new kicks: bigger, naughtier and camp as hell.n.”
Arifa Akbar
The Telegraph ★★★★
“Christina Aguilera’s raunchy Burlesque musical is a cult hit in the making“
“Well, this is a surprise…. this knowingly daft riff on the 2010 Christina Aguilera and Cher movie emerges as a strange sort of triumph.”
“Hall embodies the show’s meta-lite theatricality by turning the fact he plays both Tess’s queeny right-hand man Sean, and Ali’s vodka-swilling gospel teacher Miss Loretta into a running gag. He makes a virtue out of the show’s scrappy DNA and madcap, extemporaneous air”
“… sometimes it’s hard to know if the show is being wink-wink referential or simply derivative… Yet the buzz is infectious. Folley is formidable as Ali, easily Aguilera’s equal”
Claire Allfree
The Times ★★★
“Car crash? Actually it’s rather compelling“
“Connoisseurs of theatre car crashes are going to be disappointed… despite its rough edges — the book, by the film’s director, Steven Antin, gets hopelessly tangled in the second half — Todrick Hall’s production has more vim than that other recently arrived contender in the hen party stakes, The Devil Wears Prada. And in the pairing of Jess Folley and the American singer Orfeh (who is making her West End debut) the evening unfurls some powerhouse vocals.
“… whenever Folley gets her moment centre stage, she’s utterly compelling. You only wish, too, that the petite Orfeh had more opportunities to showcase a voice that’s a mixture of granite and bourbon.”
“Aguilera’s Express gives Act II an explosive opening kick as Ali discovers her inner vamp. It wasn’t always possible to make out the lyrics to the songs, but the ensemble’s sheer energy made amends.”
Clive Davis
The Stage ★★★
“Messy, over-extended movie musical adaptation with star turns from Jess Folley and Orfeh”
“For all the dramas on stage and off, Burlesque is an upbeat, sassy story packed with astounding vocals – extensively from Folley and Orfeh – and some genuinely exciting dance routines choreographed by Hall.”
Paul Vale
City AM ★★★★
“Rachel Zegler is enthralling as Evita in this gorgeous sensory overload of a show”
“this populist gesture is emblematic of Jamie Lloyd’s big, bold, stadium rally of a staging. With its virtuoso star Zegler romancing a rapt audience both inside and outside the theatre’s walls.”
“this gorgeous sensory overload of a show is its own comment on the rising tide of fascism. Populism is sexy, captivating, overpowering – a way for weary people to escape the dull realities of right and wrong. You know there’s something deeply twisted under that pretty shiny surface, but, like the audiences of Evita, you’re powerless to resist.”
Alice Saville
The Theatre Talk ★★★★
It recieved similarly positive reviews back when it was on at the Manchester Opera House with the same cast reprising their roles.
“The show itself opens with one of the more successful changes. A prologue penned and performed by Todrick Hall (as Sean) whips the audience into frenzied excitement”
“Burlesque is a spectacle with dazzling choreography, tantalising costuming and impressive staging.”
“Even the most devoted Aguilera fans cannot deny that Jess Folley is an absolute revelation as Ali, single handedly stealing the show. Even on a sweltering June evening, she manages to give you goosebumps with her powerhouse vocals.”
“A particular highlight is ‘Bound To You’, in which she beautifully duets with leading man Michael Mather (Jackson). Never putting a foot wrong, she is worth the ticket price alone.”
Overall from the Burlesque Review Round-Up we see it has received overall good reviews and it shows we shouldn’t judge a show in it’s preview stages too harshly. As that is when changes and errors are more permissible. The show is running for a strictly limited season at the Savoy until Paddington takes over!
So don’t miss your chance and see the acclaimed cast in this production!
