Todrick Hall Opens Up About The Terrifying Thrill Of Directing Burlesque The Musical

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At present, Todrick Hall is doing it all: directing, choreographing, composing music, and starring in Burlesque The Musical in the West End. There’s new behind-the-scenes footage of him talking candidly about the fears, passion, and revolutionary diversity of the production.

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Hall, taking the cue from the multi-hyphenate creative, shared what it felt like doing such an enormous project: “‘Terrifying, but in the best way.’ I made myself a pact. I only say yes to things that scare me. And this is one of those.” “There is a song in the show called Big that talks about what Burlesque is, what it started as in the 1860s to what it is now and how it’s evolved,” he said.

What really makes this show different is its focus on representation. Hall was very outspoken about how important it is for there to be diversity on stage and off. “It just means so much to me to have such a diverse cast. We have so much diversity on stage and it’s just a sight to behold.”

A West End actress told Hall that she just never had any experience working with a Black director, which gave him pause: “I think about what it means to have someone who looks like you and who represents what a director looks like in a different way. People might not have seen me before this process and said he should be a Broadway or West End director, but I think that it’s 2025, it’s time to change what that looks like.”

There’s quite an in-joke atmosphere among those who got early access to tickets. One person whispered, “Not excited at all to see it on Saturday night,” with some fire and star-eyed emojis trailing behind-a perfect display of sarcasm. Another commented, “He really said, ‘I can do it all,’” essentially summing up the amazement all of Hall’s endeavors have caused.

Naysayers won’t just drop everything to hop on a plane to London. “What it sounds like is I need to save up all my dollhair$ to go to the West End,” one fan lamented. A few positive responses poured in, including one saying, “Exactly.”

Obviously, Hall’s thirst for pushing boundaries-for himself and for the accepted norms-has struck a chord with many. “Amen to the artistry and representation! Behold, burlesque is revolutionizing the scene with this phenomenal production,” one commenter said.

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The buzz is reaching fever pitch; the preview night at the Savoy awaits. Burlesque The Musical is set to be this season’s most unmissable event with dazzling performances, celebrations of diversity, and Hall pulling quadruple duty, and judging from the reaction so far, it’s going to be one hell of a journey. As reported by another article, Todrick Hall has been an influential figure in the industry.