Review: Burlesque at The Alexandra, Birmingham
Initially reluctant to reveal her identity to Tess, Ali takes a job as a waitress at the club after discovering that Tess is struggling financially. She leaves without really having the opportunity to speak to her mother.
Ali is played by Gracie O’Brien, who quickly demonstrates her considerable talent as a singer. While working as a waitress and cleaning the tables, Ali begins singing Don’t Make Me Sing, attracting the attention of everyone in the club. When the club’s star performer, Nikki (Vanessa Young), is fired for continually arriving late, Ali gets her chance to step into the spotlight. She quickly becomes the new star of the show.
Romance is also woven into the story when Jackson offers Ali somewhere to stay, as she has nowhere else to go. Their relationship adds another dimension to Ali’s journey as she settles into her new life in New York.
In Act Two, the club’s increasingly troubled finances threaten its future. Tess’s ex-husband, with Nikki’s help, attempts to defraud Tess and Ali. However, the scheme ultimately fails when Nikki has a change of heart and returns the money to Tess.
The climactic finale sees Ali come up with the idea of “going big” to save the club from financial ruin. The plan succeeds, and, in the process, Tess finally discovers that Ali is her daughter. For Ali, this brings the emotional resolution she has been searching for throughout the story: she has finally found her home.
The music throughout the show features well-known songs associated with Christina Aguilera, along with other numbers from the original Burlesque soundtrack, based on the film and the work of Steven Antin.
Gracie O’Brien’s performance as Ali was excellent, as was the rest of the cast. She particularly impressed with her vocal performances, bringing plenty of energy and confidence to the role.
The finale, Show Me How You Burlesque, was undoubtedly the highlight of the show. With the full cast on stage, colourful and provocative costumes, and an infectious musical number, it had the audience moving along to the music.
Overall, Burlesque is a colourful and entertaining musical, with plenty of strong vocals, memorable songs and eye-catching costumes. The audience reacted positively to the individual performances, although it was not until the finale that the atmosphere really lifted and everyone seemed to get into the spirit of the show. The production could perhaps benefit from a little more energy and “zip” earlier on to get the audience’s toes tapping sooner.
That said, the performers received a well-deserved standing ovation at the end, bringing the evening to an enthusiastic and fitting conclusion.