Burlesque

Burlesque at the Jermyn Street Theatre is a new musical by Adam Meggido and Roy Smiles which looks at the McCarthy anti-communist witch-hunts of the 1940s/50s which decimated Hollywood and destroyed many writers and performers at the time. This was a time of huge injustice in the USA driven by a public fear whipped up by politicians - a fear that the 'reds unde the bed' would destroy American society and values (which at the time included, in some states, segregation, anti-Jewish violence and the KKK) - anyone thought to have, at any time, been in contact with someone who might have been a communist sympathiser was publicaly denounced and forced to name others they had been with. Many innocent people suffered aggressive persecution, and all the "guilty" were actually guilty of was having at some point listened to, or believed in, a socialist ideal. This topic was also, of course, the core of Trumbo which was performed on this same stage in 2009 by Nick Waring and the late and very great Corin Redgrave.

In Burlesque we are back in the time of the Korean War, backstage at a seedy burlesque palace where the girls are struggling to make ends meet and the comedians Johnny and Rags are having to work as Johnny has been named by the Un-American Activities Committee as a potential 'Red'. Freddie and Lula's "Palace" is on its last legs and the girls Honey, Georgia and Amy are doing this to make ends meet. Honey is in love with Johnny, Georgia's boyfriend, Saul, is a black dancer at another theatre, persecute despite his talent for the colour of his skin. Into this come the FBI man Bill - offering Johnny another chance to clear his name by responding to the Committee's questions and naming names.

The production makes excellent use of the unique space that is the Jermyn Street Theatre and keeps up a continuous momentum allowing the clever interplay of dialogue, songs to alterantely entertain and inform us never allowing itself to become too light before the dark or visa versa. The second act is particularly powerful as the various threads of their lives drive towards their inevitable, but none the less sad, conclusions. The Committee scene is beautifully directed and acted, with strong reflections of the films we have seen of those events and a very powerful conclusion from Jon-Paul Hevey's Johnny. Jon-Paul and Chris Holland as the comedy dup have a particularly moving final song which will stay with me for a long time, such a beautifully touching moment at the end. Linal Haft (Freddie) is excellent throughout and Buster Skeggs (Lula) is completely credible. In fact this is a very "real" production which draws you into these lives and makes you genuinely care for, and angry on behalf of, the characters.

The show runs till 18th December but the Jermyn Street Theatre has a habit of selling out so book early - personally I hope to see this show again sometime, if not here then in a future production which it well deserves!