A couple of weeks ago, both Jamie and I went to see Burlesque The Musical at the Alhambra Bradford, and after having a fantastic time, I thought that I would tell you all about it.
A picture of the Burlesque The Musical Logo.
Here’s what Burlesque The Musical say about themselves.
From executive Producer Christina Aguilera and written by Steven Antin, based on the hit Movie, Burlesque invites you to a Club like no other, a hidden World beneath the City Lights where Sequins sparkle, seduction shimmers and lives can change in the flick of a Feather Boa.
When Ali arrives in New York searching for the Mother she never knew, she stumbles upon a dazzling underground scene alive with Music, movement, and mystery. Drawn into this intoxicating World, she begins to uncover her extraordinary voice, and finds an unexpected Family of dreamers, misfits and schemers who will change her life forever.
Burlesque is a scintillating journey of self-discovery that absolutely sizzles, featuring powerhouse songs by Christina Aguilera, Sia and Diane Warren, alongside thrilling new numbers from Todrick Hall and Jess Folley.
Starring Faye Brookes, Coronation Street and Chicago, as Tess, Ryan Carter, Ain’t Too Proud and Titanique, as Sean and Ms Loretta, Kitty Harris, Beauty and the Beast, Calendar Girls and The Wizard of Oz, as Ali, Davide Fienauri, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Moulin Rouge, as Vince, Tyler Davis, Back To The Future and Sunset Blvd, as Jackson, and Vanessa Ela Young, Moulin Rouge and The Drifters Girl, as Nikki.
What happened when I went to see Burlesque The Musical at the Alhambra Bradford?
Once we had finally arrived in Bradford, and had been for something to eat, we eventually headed to the Alhambra Bradford, which is located next door to Bradford Live on Morely Street in Bradford City Centre..
Then once we had walked through the Accessibility Entrance Doors by the side of the massive building, we were very kindly greeted by a really nice Man who said hi and took our Tickets. We said hi back and asked if it would be possible for someone to show us to our Seats as neither of us can see very well in the dark, and after handing us our Tickets back, he passed us over to another one of his really friendly Colleagues who showed us to some really comfy Seats that were right in the middle of the Front Row opposite the Stage..
Then after we had gotten comfy and had been chatting for about ten or so minutes, a really loud recording of a Woman with a slight New York accent welcomed us to the show and said that the role of Ali would be played by Kitty Harris today, as well as reminding us to turn our Phones off before the show eventually started.
What I thought of the Show.
It’s opening.
I really liked that they opened the Show with a very atmospheric scene of Sean welcoming us to the Burlesque Lounge as if we were actually in a seedy Burlesque Club, before transitioning into Tess singing Welcome To Burlesque, as I thought that it introduced us to quite a few of the Characters that we would see throughout the Show.
Everyone’s performances.
I really liked everyone’s performances, as I thought that they all embodied the people that you would probably find at a Burlesque Club in the mid-to-late naughties. From the very flamboyant Sean who keeps everyone in check so that the Show doesn’t run offtrack, to the very naïve Ali who’s come to the big City to find her Birth Mother, to Tess the very hard-nosed owner of the Club who doesn’t want anything to do with Ali until she can help her make Money, to Nikki the self-centred Burlesque Performer who thinks that the Club won’t run without her, to Jackson the downtrodden Musician who struggles to tell Ali that he loves her, and even the evil Vince who’s just out to make a quick Buck and doesn’t care who he hurts in the process.
I also really liked the chemistry between everyone, as I really believed that Ali and Jackson had feelings for one another despite Jackson already being in a relationship, that Sean really cared for Ali and just wanted her to succeed, that Tess really cared for all of her employees despite them not always thinking so, that Tess and Vince had once loved each other despite now despising each other, and that Nikki truly hated Ali for muscling in on her turf.
I also really liked everyone’s accents, as with this being set in New York everyone apart from Ali had to talk in a very thick New York accent, and I thought that everybody pulled it off seamlessly.
The Songs.
I absolutely loved all of the songs, as I thought that they were all performed beautifully, especially some of my favourites, including Welcome To Burlesque, Sugar Daddy Diet, Dirty Martini, Don’t Make Me Sing, Big, Ammo, Wagon Wheel Watusi, Tough Lover, But I Am A Good Girl, and Bigger. But the ones that really stuck in my Mind definitely had to be You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me and Makeup, as it showed just how brilliantly Faye Brooks and Kitty Harris could sing.
The story.
I really liked the story of Ali moving to New York to find her Birth Mother and not taking no for an answer, Tess doing everything it takes to keep the Club open, Vince trying to close down the Club and enticing Nikki into doing his bidding, Sean taking Ali under his Wing and helping her to become a Burlesque Performer, and wether or not Ali and Jackson would finally confess their feelings for one another.
I also really liked that during the Set and Scene Changes that they had other Characters performing Burlesque Routines, as it made it feel like I was actually sat in the audience of a mid-naughties Burlesque Club.
Even though it was called a Rom Com Musical, it did contain quite a few sad moments, including when Tess rebuffs Ali’s attempts to tell her that she’s her Birth Mother, and when Tess almost loses the Club due to Financial Ruin.
My overall thoughts.
Overall I would have to rate Burlesque The Musical a nine out of ten. I absolutely loved it and thought that it was a fantastic show that had some dramatic, some funny, and some sad parts to it that was performed brilliantly. The only thing that I didn’t really like about it was that it contained quite a few visual only sequences, which with me being Visually Impaired kind of passed me by. I also think that if you’re a fan of the Movie that you might get a little bit confused, as apart from it featuring a few key parts from the Movie, it’s a totally brand new story.
If you would like to find out more about Burlesque The Musical, including where you can buy your Tickets from, then you can find them online here.
Then once the Show had finally finished, we headed off back into Bradford to catch our Bus.
Have you seen Burlesque The Musical yet? What did you think of it? What’s some of your favourite Musicals? Please let me know down below.
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Luke x
