Burlesque the Musical leaves Birmingham as reviews remain divided
The stage version of the 2010 film plays at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham until today. Sheffield is next, and the tour is scheduled to run until May 2027.
Archive image · Photo: Chris Whippet / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
The musical version of Burlesque ends its run at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham today, Saturday, where it has played since 6 October. According to the WhatsOnStage tour listing, Sheffield follows from 27 to 31 October, Woking and High Wycombe in early November, Liverpool, Leeds and Blackpool from late November to early January and Manchester and Edinburgh in early 2027. The last listed stop is the New Wimbledon Theatre from 11 to 15 May 2027. The London previews at Arts at Marble Arch, planned for 12 September, have been postponed to 2027.
The show is based on the 2010 film. Steven Antin is producer, writer and creative director, Racky Plews directs and Robin Antin choreographs. The songwriters include Christina Aguilera, Sia, Diane Warren and Todrick Hall. In the touring cast, Gracie O'Brien plays the lead character Ali and Faye Brookes plays club owner Tess – the role Cher played in the film. Tyler Davis plays Jack, Davide Fienauri Vince and Ryan Carter Sean.
Reviews are mixed. Theatre blog Lisa in the Theatre gave two and a half stars out of five after a performance in Glasgow, writing that the show had “lost its polish and pizzazz” but has the “potential to be a crowd-pleasing hit”. The Reading Residence, by contrast, called the Birmingham run “a spectacle” it would recommend. Cancellations made headlines in the summer; according to audience accounts, a performance in Sunderland was cancelled at short notice on 17 August, though Aussie Theatre found no official confirmation.