It’s thrilling when small-scale theatre has big ambitions, and what Adam Meggido and Roy Smiles attempt with this new musical is colossal. They don’t quite pull it off, but they have created a piece with real guts, presented with verve in Meggido’s production.
Thankfully, the title is deceptive: this is not striptease masquerading as art. It’s a drama set on- and off-stage at the Palace, a tatty burlesque theatre in 1950s America.
Showgirl Honey and comedian Johnny Reno are lovers – but, thanks to his late father’s socialist convictions, Johnny is under McCarthyite investigation. While he is torn between loyalty, love, fear and conscience, his fellow performers struggle with their own problems in a declining variety industry.
The theatrical setting and Meggido’s score nod to classic musicals, notably ‘Gypsy’ and ‘Show Boat’; slinky, stocking-flashing number ‘Betrayal’ is sheer ‘Chicago’.
But, despite a lack of dramatic focus, the show has its own engaging energy. And if the singing is uneven, the acting, from a cast led by Jon-Paul Hevey’s rage-filled funnyman, compels and convinces. Imperfect, but in the end, stirring stuff.