Burlesque: The flop that could've been.

I tried not to blog about "Burlesque" but I realized I just couldn't help myself. When I first heard about "Burlesque", a musical that basically followed the plot of Showgirls but was about a burlesque club and starred Cher and Christina Aguilera, I was excited in spite of my better judgement to not trust today's mainstream entertainment industry. Of course it was going to be Camp Fest 2010, and of course Cher is fierce even if she comes across as an alien goddess, she can really pull anything off (see youtube video of her doing the ensemble reprise of "Tonight" from "West Side Story" while she plays and sings for EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER). Christina I wasn't so sure about, I've never really been a fan. And I was hoping that they wouldn't sacrifice the style of real burlesque for something more contemporary and pop oriented. But I was still curious and wanted to see it. Despite my efforts, not a soul would go with me to see it in theaters, so I waited for it to be available on Netflix and when it came in the mail I found that it actually exceeded my expectations!

The movie is "Showgirls", "Coyote Ugly" and "Cabaret" all mixed together and put through a Disney filter of good ol' fashioned fun.  The plot is basically the plot of Coyote Ugly or Showgirls (though more Coyote Ugly because the main character is "sweet" and not an "ex-crack whore"); small town girl with big town dreams, blah blah blah. Christina does a decent job in a simple role as a small town simpleton who moves to the big city. Simple, simple, simple. But when she hits the stage she really channels her inner Velma Kelly for a very fun display of old and new dance. Throw in a love interest with minimal conflict and a fierce mentor who just isn't sure about trusting this wild card and you've got a not-terrible 40 minute plot. Which is fine with me because the whole rest of the film (about an hour) is pretty much nothing but musical numbers in the burlesque club. And the musical numbers are actually done really well! The first number in the club is "Welcome to Burlesque" sung by Cher and from these first moments, I knew I was sold on the film. In a very "Cabaret- Wilkommen" inspired number, Cher's character Tess introduces the sultry dancers, welcoming the audience to the club, and once we're there we barely leave for the first hour of the film.


Tell me you don't see Catherine Zeta-Jones in "Chicago" right here!


What I love most about it is that it really pays tribute to the tradition of burlesque, vaudeville and cabaret performance.  Many of the songs are original but I appreciated that they reserved several musical numbers as strictly traditional dance to old standards like "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend". The original songs aren't spectacularly written, but from what I saw, it was much more about the look of the club and the dancers than the actual songs, which is appropriate for the kind of performance they showcase in the film. The movement and dance in it is very heavily influenced by Fosse, you see his signature poses and movement in every musical number throughout the entire film, and it's fun seeing how contemporary dance is very much inspired by his work. And if that's not enough for you musical theater dorks, it even has a cameo by Alan Cumming (who famously reinvigorated the role of the Emcee in the Broadway revival of "Cabaret") who does a vaudeville number with two dancers in which they find themselves in several compromising positions referencing the "Cabaret" song "Two Ladies". Christina even gets her "Maybe This Time" type ballad song as the love interest develops. It's almost like a less controversial homage to "Cabaret", which is great. I've often wondered, in this day in age when musicals are back in and "Chicago" wins Best Picture why there hasn't been a remake of "Cabaret" but until then, "Burlesque" is a good substitute.