DIAMONDS and DUST at the Emerald Theatre Review
Dita Von Teese's latest theatrical cabaret venture opens in a new London venue
DIAMONDS and DUST is the inaugural production at London’s newest venue, the Emerald Theatre, situated underneath Waterloo Bridge on Embankment. Curated by the legendary Dita Von Teese, the show bridges a gap between theatre and cabaret in a way that has never been seen before.
The gorgeous new venue perfectly hosts the new style of show, with step free access to the cabaret tables on the floor, and theatre style bench seating around the outside and on the circle level. The production is visually spectacular, with beautiful ornate costumes designed by Jenny Packham and supported by Philip Gladwell’s gorgeous and intentional lighting design. The show includes a fabulous variety of classic and neo burlesque, from comedy to cirque and of course some boylesque too!
Every single performer was absolutely breathtaking, my particular highlight being Lady Lydia and Zoe Marshall’s sensational aerial performances, an art form that will never cease to amaze me. The fabulous Faye Tozer narrated the show as Miss Kitty LeRoy, a role that truly allowed her to show the full scope of her never-ending talent. Aside from co-directing and co-choreographing, Tosca Rivola shines in her Cyr Wheel and shows off her cracking skills with a whip. Dita herself has disappointingly little stage time, with a slightly underwhelming classical burlesque routine in the first half, before ramping it up in a seductive bucking bronco act later on.
The show itself was a somewhat clumsy attempted to blend storytelling with stunt, resulting in a confusing plot line with little substance and any snippets of story are lost to the overpowering spectacular visual. It’s structure of using performances to link together the chunks of narrative works significantly better in the second act than the first. However, what it lacks in substance is made up for in pure glitz and glamour, leading the issues the fade into the spectacular visuals and incredible performances.
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We finished the evening off by joining the Emerald After Dark party, an event that takes place Wednesday to Saturday after the final performance of the day, topped off with live performances and a fabulous DJ. Overall, a wonderful time was had - admittedly this is a fairly pricey experience, but definitely an unforgettable one.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
DIAMONDS and DUST plays at the Emerald Theatre until 28th September. Save up to 53% on selected July dates when you book with London Theatre Direct, or find venue information here.
Tickets and Accessibility
🎟️ Tickets were kindly gifted by the press representative for the production, with expectation of an honest, non-biased review. All opinions remain those of the writer, without any input or approval from the producers or venue. Standard tickets are priced from £45, with savings up to 53% available on selected performances with London Theatre Direct.
♾️ The production features lots of flashing lights, loud noises and music, and gunshot sound effects throughout, with audience interaction in the Stalls and a strictly enforced dress code of Western fantasy, old Hollywood elegance, or vintage Las Vegas. The production advises attendees to leave trainers, sportswear and casual wear at home.
The venue offers step free access to the Stalls only, with steep steps in the circle and slightly restricted views on aisle seats. No accessible performances are currently scheduled.
All information provided is correct at the time of publishing and may be subject to change.
DIAMONDS and DUST is produced by Tosca Rivola, Dita Von Teese, Dee Parsons and Julian Stoneman, with Sydney Max Lee, Sienna Sinclaire, Robert Testagrossa and Paul Dainty.
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