Review: Burlesque the musical UK tour 2026, King's Theatre, Glasgow - Burlesque has lost its polish and pizzazz
Updated: 18 hours ago
The turbulent journey continues for the new production of Burlesque as the UK tour arrives in Glasgow. Burlesque is at the King's Theatre Glasgow until Saturday 19 September. Read my review here.
Burlesque ★★⯪☆☆
Review: 8 September 2026 | King's Theatre, Glasgow
The notoriously troubled Burlesque: The Musical arrived in Glasgow this week, and opening night was marred by delays and technical glitches that are unfortunately now synonymous with the new production. With changes to the creative team, the story and the song list, this Burlesque is a different show from the one that was so successful in Glasgow in 2024.
Despite a fabulous, hardworking cast and, I'm sure, an equally hardworking team backstage, the new version of Burlesque is a poor relation to its dazzling predecessor. With too many new songs that slow the pace of the story, jokes that don't land, clunky transitions, and lighting that bathes the cast in darkness while blinding the audience, coupled with a delayed start and a lengthy show stop in Act II, Burlesque has sadly lost its polish and pizzazz.
There are, however, glimpses of greatness; The ambition for the show is clear. The live orchestrations are fabulous; the MD keeps the show moving with a rich, driving sound. And they do throw everything at the lighting - just sometimes too much!
However, it's the big ensemble song and dance numbers where the show excels. Big, Show Me How You Burlesque, Wagon Wheel Watusi and the glorious Act II opener Express show just how brilliant a spectacle Burlesque on stage has the potential to be.
Adapted from the much-loved 2010 film starring Christina Aguilera and Cher, Burlesque follows a small-town choir girl Ali (Gracie O'Brien), as she heads to New York City in search of her birth mother. There she finds Tess (Faye Brookes) in charge of a struggling Burlesque club.
Ali is hired as a waitress in the club and bides her time behind the bar, waiting for the right moment to introduce herself to Tess. Meanwhile, Ali meets Jack (Tyler Davis), a handsome bartender and songwriter. One night, when the club suffers a power failure and loses its music track, Ali seizes the opportunity to show off her incredible natural voice that was too big for the choir.
Inside the Burlesque club
The new UK tour version of Burlesque introduces a new star to the musical theatre world. Gracie O'Brien - a 2026 Mountview graduate - is a sensation in her first professional role as lead Ali. Her soaring, powerhouse vocals are jaw-dropping. This will hopefully be the start of a very successful career for this incredible young talent.
Musical theatre veteran Faye Brookes is as commanding as always as the glamorous and feisty owner of the Burlesque club, Tess.
The triple-threat Brookes thankfully has plenty of opportunity to show off her talents, from leading the knockout opening number "Welcome to Burlesque" to a stunning solo version of Diane Warren's 'You Haven't Seen the Last of Me,' which was written for the 2010 film and is wisely used here.
In the stage musical version of Burlesque, the plot has been simplified to remove any reference to the complicated "air rights" of the film; rather, Tess's Burlesque club is simply in debt and unable to meet bank loan repayments.
Ex-husband Vince (Davide Fienauri) still owns a financial stake in the club and is trying to force its sale. Vince's villain song Ammo remains a highlight of the show, with Fienauri charismatic and fun, though the character could be more threatening.
Ryan Carter is Sean, a senior employee at the club who stages their shows and designs their costumes. Originated by Todrick Hall, Carter does an outstanding job with the flamboyant character and provides a constant point of excellence throughout the musical; his energy and magnetic stage presence a match for his superb vocals.
The other character that Todrick Hall dual-roled in Glasgow originally was the glorious Miss Loretta, who was given a rewrite and extra stage time after proving so popular at the world premiere in Manchester. She is sadly absent in the new version, and her outrageous comedy and vitality leave a hole. There is a minor character named Loretta in this new version of Burlesque, but blink and you'll miss her.
Also missing from Burlesque this time around is the revolving stage and Nina Dunn's video designs, which have been replaced with gloomy, pixelated projections. The set is dark on the whole during this production and is never helped by the peculiar lighting design that frequently only picks out the lead performer with a follow-spot, while the dancers and supporting cast are left lurking in darkness. It feels disrespectful to their talents, frankly, but is so easily fixed!
The staging felt oddly old-fashioned at times, with the frequent use of a front curtain drop behind which the main set was changed - often noisily. On a positive note, the scene changes are frequently fronted by mini Burlesque performances by Freya Baddeley's Peaches and Kizzi Pink Simpson's Pearl, who are utter delights in their cheeky routines and showstopping costumes.
The ensemble cast works tirelessly to power through the lengthy show, but unfortunately the delay at the start and the disruption later on meant that on opening night in Glasgow, Burlesque came down almost an hour late, and any momentum was lost. As much as these things can happen with live theatre and can often be forgiven, they do unfortunately resonate beyond the showstopping finale here.
I'm conscious that my disappointment with Burlesque in Glasgow 2026 stems from the high benchmark set by Burlesque in Glasgow 2024.
But while the new production of Burlesque is currently a mixed bag, and it looks like a show that needs a bit more time to prepare for a major UK tour, it does have the potential to be a crowd-pleasing hit. I hope whatever issues are happening behind the scenes can be resolved because there is talent and thrills to be had at this struggling Burlesque club. ★★⯪☆☆
Burlesque plays at the King's Theatre, Glasgow until Saturday 19th September before it continues on UK tour
Book tickets here: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/burlesque-the-musical/
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