Gracie O’Brien and ensemble in Burlesque UK tour 2026
Burlesque was a 2010 musical film starring Cher and Christina Aguilera. A tale as old as time about a girl from nowhere with big dreams about being a star. It was a hit in cinemas and in the charts due to its stars and killer songs.
It therefore makes perfect sense to turn it into a full blown musical. It’s perfect for the stage.
There have however been some changes to the story. I won’t mention them for spoiler reasons but I’m not sure they were needed – especially as fans of the film will be left slightly confused. At it’s core though we meet Ali (played by Gracie O’Brien) who quits her job as a waitress in a mid-west diner and heads for the brights lights of New York where she ends up landing a job waitressing at the Burlesque Lounge – an exciting performance venue of the likes she has never seen. As the tale as old as time goes, Ali is an aspiring and exceptionally talented singer and you can guess the rest. O’Brien is also an exceptionally talented singer and is able to hit the notes previously hit by Aguilera with ease. She’s also an extremely likeable leading lady.
Stepping into Cher’s sparkly shoes is Faye Brookes. If you expecting a Cher impression you’ll be disappointed. Brookes plays the part her way – as she should. She plays Tess, the owner of the Burlesque Loung and gives a lot of energy to the role.
They are accompanied by an excellent cast, who work extremely hard throughout. Some standouts are Vanessa Ela Young as Nikki – the troublesome star of the lounge show. She’s absolutely electric and you can’t take your eyes off her.
Ryan Carter as Sean – the MC – sets the mood perfectly throughout.
Davide Fienauri as Vince – the villain of the piece – is charismatically evil and also has a fantastic voice.
Tyler Davis as Jack – the love interest – is great. He has a wonderful scene where he is completely naked and has to hide his modesty with objects around his apartment. Just brilliant.
In addition to the songs from the film there are new songs by Todrick Hall which work really well. It’s also great that the wonderful (and Golden Globe winning) “You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me” by Diane Warren has been put into the show, as it was excluded in initial runs.
The only downside to the show is a lot of the dialogue falls flat (and some of it you struggle to hear). It does bring the show down slightly. The first half could also be trimmed by about ten minutes.
However the musical numbers save it. It’s filled with the most exciting and exhilerating musical numbers. And it’s HOT. In fact – the hottest show around.
THIS is how you burlesque.
Four stars. So hot it should come with a warning.
