Burlesque The Musical at The Regent Review
It’s time to sequin up and grab your feather boa as Burlesque is in town at The Regent Theatre which plays host to producer Christina Aguilera’s Burlesque – Review by Mel Osborne
Written by Steve Antin, this risqué musical about the nightclub underworld stars Coronation street star Faye Brooks and will be a delight to fans of Moulin Rouge and Cayote ugly.
Ali swaps her hum drum life in Southern America for the bright lights of New York on a quest for the mother she never knew.
She gets more than she bargains for when stumbling on the underground club scene of burlesque that her Mum, Tess runs.
This is a fast moving, fun packed musical celebrating the mysterious performance art that is Burlesque with a touch of romance, mystery and comedy.
(Image by Rosie Moore)
What is hard to miss with Burlesque is that everything is big…
From the explosive brightly lit stage to the bedazzling costumes, not to mention the elaborate feathered fans – it’s enough to send a musical theatre fan into a fuchsia frenzy.
Burlesque is a mixture of various dance greats such as Moulin Rouge, Chicago and Cabret – but holds its own as a powerhouse musical branded by the Christina Aguilera trademark multi-noted riffs.
Ali is played by recent Mountview Graduate Gracie O’Brian who delivered an energetic and likeable performance of the gutsy young southern girl. With her earthy tones and dynamic vocal range she was perfectly cast.
Fay Brooks as Tess is elegant and driven as the fast talking, self made woman. Her vocals and harmonising match O’Brians seamlessly and they are convincing as mother and daughter.
The direction of the scenes are curated as if they were painted rather than printed, with brave stylisation and bold choices.
Audiences will lose track of time as they are pulled into the seductive and sassy fast paced numbers which MC Sean played by Ryan Carter introduces with a show stopping brilliance.
Noteable scenes include the number ‘Make up’ a duet between Ali and Tess which puts everything they need to say into a ten minute number rather than lengthy dialogue.
The romance scenes between Ali and Jack (Tyler Davis) were admittedly predictable but captivating as what is a musical without a bit of romance.
Tyler Davis delivers an excellence burlesque themed comedy routine that had audience members whistling and whooping.
Davide Fiennauri, who plays creepy ex Vince who is intent on putting a spanner in the works, is entertaining as the villian.
Audiences will love to hate his portrayal of the character and the Tango Burlesquo is certainly one of the highlights of the show.
Burlesque is a fantastic, frenzy of fuchsia and feather boas. Aimed at a more mature audience this is still a show that has a bit of something for everyone and will appease the most hardcore musical theatre fans.
The concept may not be new but the performance is in a league of its own and is set to become another fan favourite for years to come.
5 Stars
