Velouria Review

Velouria Review

16th October – 1st November 2025

I rarely look up the show I’m going to see. I like to go in with no pre-conceived ideas as to what to expect but sometimes, usually when I’m en route, curiosity gets the better of me and I ended up looking it up. As my train hurtled towards Queenstown Road on Friday evening, I did just that and was surprised to realise that I was on my way to see a Burlesque show.

I’d never seen one before and being totally honest, I didn’t know very much about Burlesque at all. I’ve never even watched Cabaret or Chicago or Burlesque, but as I scrolled House of Burlesque’s website, I knew I was in for a treat.

“Their movements were smooth, their glamorous costumes were a work of art and the divine feminine energy that filled the room was fierce”

Seeing as it was a Friday evening, I treated myself to a glass of Prosecco from the bar and waited patiently as Pandora and her box glided across the foyer, challenging people to write down a confession. Drawing an absolute blank and lacking any form of imagination, mine was incredibly boring. Others, however, got more creative and later in the evening, when Nell Gwyn crowned a member of the audience the ‘Baddest B***h’, it was not only well-deserved but absolutely hilarious.

In the same way that “well behaved women seldom make history”, I am often of the point of view that audience participation seldom makes a good show, but when it’s done well, it borders on perfect and I think that for the duration of Velouria, House of Burlesque found the perfect balance between participation and not participating …

If you’ve ever wondered what a break-dancing Margaret Thatcher, a heavily pregnant burlesque dancer and Mary Ⅰ have in common, it’s that they’re all breathtakingly talented. As they moved around the stage, no one could take their eyes off them. Their movements were smooth, their glamorous costumes were a work of art and the divine feminine energy that filled the room was fierce.

The show is running at Arches Lane Theatre at Battersea Power Station until the beginning of November (Thursdays to Saturdays at 7pm) and if you have the chance to, I highly recommend catching House of Burlesque’s fabulous new production while you can.

Maggie John

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