Burlesque the Musical at a glance

Show
Burlesque the Musical
Venue
The Arts at Marble Arch
Address
Marble Arch, London W1H 7DX
Nearest station
Marble Arch (2 min walk)
Genre
Musical (glam / cabaret)
Running time
2 hours 30 minutes, including one interval
Age guidance
12+ (under-16s must be accompanied)
Dates
12 September 2026 – 31 January 2027
Schedule
Evenings 7:30pm; matinees Sat and Sun 3:00pm
Price range
From £32 (up to £210)
Book
Steven Antin (with additional material by Kate Wetherhead)
Music & lyrics
Christina Aguilera, Sia, Diane Warren, Todrick Hall, Jess Folley
Director & choreographer
Todrick Hall

Expert Review: Burlesque the Musical

4.3
★★★★★

LTH Expert Rating

Reviewed by the London Theatre Hub editorial team. Last updated: 2 May 2026. Based on the 2025 Savoy Theatre production.

The Verdict

Burlesque the Musical does exactly what it promises — and the promise involves sequins, fog machines, jaw-dropping choreography, and a set of songs that ranges from undeniable to indefensible and back again. After its sold-out debut at the Savoy Theatre in summer 2025, the show returns for a longer London run at The Arts at Marble Arch, a brand-new 550-seat venue that opened specifically to house it. That kind of commitment from producers signals something: this show has an audience, and the audience is not shy about expressing itself.

Todrick Hall's choreography was the 2025 production's greatest asset. His movement vocabulary — combining street dance, ballroom, acrobatics, and classic cabaret — gives the show a physical energy that the script itself rarely matches. The plot is, by common critical consensus, thin: a small-town girl arrives in a city, finds her voice, saves a club, falls in love. The film was never celebrated for narrative sophistication, and the stage version makes no great effort to add it. What it does instead is pile in spectacle at every available opportunity, and for long stretches that approach works. Steven Antin's decision to shift the setting from Los Angeles to New York adds an energy to the production without fundamentally changing the architecture.

The 2025 cast — led by Jess Folley's powerhouse Ali and Broadway veteran Orfeh as the formidable Tess — earned genuine praise from critics who went in sceptical. The 2026 casting is to be confirmed, and the quality of those central performances will significantly shape the experience. Nonetheless, the production's bones — Nate Bertone's design, Rory Beaton's lighting, Marco Marco's unforgettable costumes — are all returning, and they carry real theatrical weight.

What Makes It Special

  • Todrick Hall's choreography. Hall has built a career combining precision technique with high entertainment values, and his movement direction for Burlesque is the production's most consistent pleasure. The Act Two opener, when Ali finally finds her feet on the Burlesque stage, drew cheers from critics who had been reserving judgement until that point.
  • The songbook. The mix of Christina Aguilera's original film songs — Show Me How You Burlesque, Something's Got a Hold on Me, Express, Bound to You — with Todrick Hall and Jess Folley's new additions gives the show a surprising range. The new numbers, including the rap-inflected Call and the classic-cabaret Wagon Wheel Watusi, integrate seamlessly and often outshine the source material.
  • Christina Aguilera's direct involvement. As both a songwriter who reworked her original compositions for the stage and an Executive Producer, Aguilera's investment in the production goes beyond branding. The show feels shaped by someone who understands what the Burlesque audience wants — and the costuming and vocal arrangements reflect that understanding.
  • The Arts at Marble Arch. The new venue — a semi-permanent 550-seat theatre built to a high technical specification, outside the congestion zone and with good transport links — is designed to house large-scale musical productions. It is the first major new performance space of its kind in that part of London, and the purpose-built infrastructure should serve Burlesque's technical demands well.
  • Unapologetic fun. A number of critics who went to the Savoy run expecting to pan it came out reporting, slightly reluctantly, that they had a genuinely good time. The show is "awash with glittering confetti," "stuffed with personality, spectacle and wow factor," and has what the Guardian called "a naked desire to give audiences what they want." In a West End full of self-important spectacle, Burlesque's unironic commitment to glamour is its own kind of quality.

You'll love Burlesque if you...

  • Loved the 2010 film and want to hear those songs performed live with full production values
  • Are a fan of Todrick Hall's choreography and want to see what he does with a full West End stage
  • Enjoy glam, cabaret-style musicals where spectacle and energy count for more than story
  • Are planning a big night out with a group — this is one of the most audience-reactive shows in London
  • Simply want an evening of powerhouse vocals, exceptional dancing, and zero apology for either

It might not be for you if you...

  • Prioritise narrative depth or dramatic weight — the story is a delivery mechanism for the spectacle
  • Prefer more restrained theatrical experiences — this show is loud, bright, and entirely unsubtle
  • Are sensitive to strobe lighting, smoke, or haze — all three are used extensively
  • Are expecting Cher or Christina Aguilera to appear on stage — neither is scheduled to perform
  • Are bringing children under 12 — the content and themes are firmly for a teenage-and-above audience

Best for

  • Girls' nights out
  • Hen parties
  • Aguilera and Cher fans
  • Big group nights
  • Glam musical lovers
  • Date night (fun-seekers)

Not ideal for those seeking sophisticated story-driven theatre or audiences sensitive to strobe and haze effects.

Critical Reception

Burlesque the Musical opened at the Savoy Theatre in July 2025 to a mixed-to-positive critical reception. Most critics awarded three or four stars, with reviewers broadly agreeing that the show's spectacular choreography and powerhouse performances outweigh its thin plot — and that it is substantially more entertaining than its troubled backstory might have predicted. Critics were unanimous on Todrick Hall's movement direction and the vocal quality of the leads. Verified ratings from the 2025 West End production:

  • The Guardian ★★★
  • WhatsOnStage ★★★
  • The Independent ★★★
  • BroadwayWorld ★★★★
  • Musical Theatre Review ★★★★
  • London Theatre ★★★★

Source: published reviews of the Savoy Theatre production, July 2025. 2026 cast and creative team details for The Arts at Marble Arch run to be confirmed.

Everything You Need to Know

What happens in Burlesque the Musical?

Ali Rose is too much for her small Iowa town — too loud, too ambitious, too unwilling to fit the role that's been assigned to her. When she discovers she was adopted and learns the identity of her biological mother, she leaves for New York City with little money and a voice that could shake the walls of any building she enters.

The Burlesque Lounge

In New York, Ali stumbles into a dazzling underground burlesque club, owned by the formidable Tess. The club is a world of sequins, spotlight, and barely concealed financial crisis — Tess's ex-husband Vince holds a share of the property and wants out, at the worst possible moment. Ali talks her way into a job as a waitress, quickly realising that Tess is, in fact, her birth mother.

Finding her voice

The show's first act follows Ali navigating the club's hierarchy while keeping her identity and her voice hidden. When she finally gets onstage and sings, the room stops. The Burlesque was built on dancing; Ali brings something different — a sound that could fill arenas. The club's future might depend on whether Tess, who has built her world on a very specific kind of performance, is willing to let it change.

Love, rivalry, and redemption

Alongside the club's financial drama, Ali's relationship with Jackson — the bar manager who offers her his couch and eventually more — develops through a series of reliably charming complications. Nikki, the club's star performer who doesn't welcome competition, provides the most direct conflict. And Sean, the irrepressible emcee, provides running commentary on all of it with songs, quips, and an extraordinary wardrobe.

The ending

The finale assembles the full company for a climax that is precisely as joyful as two hours of build-up demands. Nobody watching Burlesque for the story will be surprised by anything in the closing twenty minutes. Nobody watching it for the spectacle will be disappointed.