Spotlight-stealing energy can't gloss over a flimsy tale

Based on a 2010 cult classic with songs by the film version's star, Christina Aguilera, ‘Burlesque The Musical’ has a naked desire to give audiences what they want, writes Alice Saville

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In a West End that's crowded with naff stagings of nostalgic films, from Clueless to Hercules, the Savoy Theatre's Burlesque The Musical stands out from the pack for featuring significantly fewer clothes and a lot more sass. It's based on a fairly terrible 2010 movie that was shredded by critics - then became a gay cult classic, thanks to Christina Aguilera and Cher's entertainingly campy, leather lingerie-clad central turns.

Now, writer Steven Antin and mammoth songwriting team of Aguilera, Sia, Todrick Hall and Jess Folley have given this messy source material a thorough once-over. And it scrubs up surprisingly well, enlivened by endless queer in-jokes, spectacular burlesque routines from both male and female dancers, and a naked desire to give audiences what they want.