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The Review - THEATRE by ANDREW MATHYS
Published: 20 August 2009

A scene from The London Folies

It would be sheer folly to miss Miss Ivy Paige

THE LONDON FOLIES
Leicester Square Theatre

I BET the tourists aren’t given this London tour! Sit back while the innuendoloving Ivy Paige escorts you through a splendid selection of variety show acts, which Jon Brielle directs with pizzazz.
Burlesque shows are growing in popularity in London, rightfully so, this being a fine showcase of performances. The acts are so skilled and authentic that it makes Britain’s Got Talent look like a school play.
A very modest and talented sextet of dancers accompanies a superb Polly Rae, thanks to Dalh Haynes’ choreography. These excellent performers worked incredibly hard and didn’t sweat a drop!
James Devine impresses with his tap dancing phenomenon, boasting 38 taps per second. I couldn’t count that quick, but I sure believe it. It’s a joy to watch the motion of his rhythms, and when he joins Waylon Luke’s solo violin, these two seemingly unrelated acts become a unique experience: a memorable tap-dancing version of Flight of the Bumblebee.
Bottles, hats and knives are a few of the props that Bichu and his pal throw to each other. They also combine gymnastics and break dancing which hugely impresses the audience, even chopping a grapefruit in mid-air with a machete. The set and lighting is well devised, with occasional nods to James Bond and Chicago. There are some excellent songs, most memorably Fluff it Up and Time of Your Life, and by the finale there is nothing left to the imagination. This topless tour bus exposes a surprise on every corner!
Until August 29
0844 847 2475

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