Theatre
Interview
Diamonds and Dust: “We’re opening a wild saloon down by the river”
The cast and creative team discuss bringing burlesque to the West End and continuing the legacy of Dita Von Teese
Under Waterloo Bridge, London’s newest theatre has just thrown open its doors. The Emerald Theatre is the purpose-built new home of Diamonds and Dust, the story of madam and gunslinger Miss Kitty LeRoy, brought to life by a team of burlesque experts including the legendary Dita Von Teese.
Diamonds and Dust promises to be a show like no other, a meeting of theatre and burlesque with elements of cirque, dance and drama, and – as promised by the cast and crew – plenty of other surprises. Playing Miss Kitty LeRoy is ex-Steps member and West End star Faye Tozer, who is more than ready to introduce London audiences to the luxurious world that the team have created.
“What I’ve learned about burlesque is that it’s the smallest details,” she says. “You have to do such tiny things to make such a big impact. It’s all about suggestion.”
To celebrate the launch of Diamonds and Dust, we sat down with the cast and creative team to unpack what exactly makes the show so special.
How did you first get interested in the world of burlesque?
Debbie Paul (associate choreographer): I have a bit of experience working from burlesque, but more the dance side. So for me, it’s been an interest for a few years. I’ve worked quite a lot in the showgirl world, so a lot of the feather-fan stuff, I’ve had experience with that. But for me and Matt, we’re musical theatre – that’s our background. So we’ve learned a lot on this job, and it’s been quite new for us to marry the worlds together.
Matt Nicholson (choreographer): One of the reasons why Tosca hired me to do this is because of my love for Bob Fosse – he had such a love for burlesque and you can really see that within his work. It’s interesting using that sort of style within this show, and it does keep it theatrical. There’s more dancing than you would potentially have in your authentic burlesque acts, which we do also have in the show.
Debbie Paul (associate choreographer): I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen or worked on anything where there’s that many different worlds fused together. Like you’ve literally got your showgirl, you’ve got your Fosse, you’ve got your burlesque, you’ve got cirque, you’ve got musical theatre, you’ve got straight acting… It’s really exciting to see it come together and learn a lot about the different worlds from the people that have experience within them.
Faye Tozer (performer): One of my first jobs when I left school was actually as a showgirl. I was dancing in bikinis and feathers in casinos and clubs and things like that. I love the craft of showgirl-dom, and I’m very passionate about how hard they work. I think one of the draws for this show is it’s a show about women, for women as well, but real burlesque, and it’s really interesting to be part of that world, and fuse that together with musical theatre as well. Especially coming from like a pop world, which is what people know me best for.
Tosca Rivola (producer/performer): I started out not in show business at all. I was in academia and sports. One day I was like, “You know what? I miss moving.” I picked up my hoop and started competing as a gymnast. Then I was like, “How do I make my money back on this?” I started dressing it up. Eventually, that act was fully sellable, and it’s taken me all around the world. I’ve performed in Saudi Arabia and Seychelles and on Dita’s world tours and in my own shows. I was so shocked to see the world open up to me in because of it. I just kind of wanted to put that world that I love so much on the formal theatrical stage, and that’s kind of the reason why we’re here.
How did you go about conceptualising the show?
Tosca Rivola (producer/performer): There are so many productions about cabaret performers or burlesque performers, but they’re never played by us. They’re always played by actors, playing us. We can play ourselves. We can tell a meaningful story, but we just don’t squarely fit into theatre. Me and Dina were like, “Let’s make a show and bring it to the West End.”
Matt Nicholson (choreographer): The show is really a combination of musical theatre meets burlesque, and how that works within a narration. It’s centred around one woman, but it has these extravagant, entertaining numbers within that. So for us, it’s, “How do we weave the story into the dance?” How that’s done in the first act is her going through her life story – for instance, there’s a moment where she turns to religion and out come two outrageous nuns, and that enters into a number. So it’s very much structured like that in the first act, and it’s a little bit more abstract in the second.
What’s it been like blending those worlds?
Lady Lydia (performer): Usually the worlds are very separate, so it’s just amazing to bring them together. Everyone has their specialty, which just makes it incredible.
What can you tell us about that narrative thread running through the show?
Faye Tozer (performer): Kitty LeRoy is actually a historical figure. She still is supposed to haunt the Mint, which is in Texas, so we all need to do a road trip at some point. The narration is a historical journey of her life and what she went through and what sort of person she was. She was around at the time of Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane, but she’s somebody that we don’t know so much about, so that’s kind of fun. We have a bit of the fantasy and the history together as well.
Dee Parsons (producer): When you’re building a narrative, you have to choose the right character. When Tosca found Miss Kitty Leroy, she called me immediately. She was like, “I found her, the one we’re gonna use.” She rode with Annie Oakley. She rode with Calamity Jane. She was in the Buffalo Bill show, but she decided she wasn’t gonna stay in show life. It was not worth her time. She was gambling, and she was making so much money, taking these guys for their money, and she just split off from show life, opened her own saloon, and she was one of the only women in the West who actually owned the deed to her own saloon. She was a remarkable character, but we don’t know about her, because she was so busy gambling that she didn’t go down in the heralds of show business the way that Annie Oakley did.
Tosca Rivola (producer/performer): She was just, like, dirtier. She’s a grittier character. I was like, “Oh my god! She’s us!”
Dee Parsons (producer): One of the parts of the story that didn’t make it in was that she shot this guy at one night in a gambling hall, and she felt so bad about it that she married him before he died two days later. He was her fourth husband, just some guy she shot in a bar. We had to pick and choose what stories we used from her life. Her life was so colourful, and to die at 27 – we were like, “This woman must have been 50 years old!” To watch Faye bring this character to life… it’s been a thrill.
What makes this show unique?
Manny Tsakanika (performer): I think this is quite a female dominated show. It’s a lot of girl power going on here, and the girls do it with grace and sexiness. I feel like the stage is really unique as well. The team that’s been put together is really special. I think everyone’s great at their craft, and we’re in this amazing, purpose-built venue.
Faye Tozer (performer): It’s a really, really fun and interesting project, and we’re going to be up close and personal with people, because the Emerald theatre is quite an intimate theatre. There’s a chance to do gourmet dining, and I’m going to be in and out the tables doing some card tricks and games with people as well during the show.
What can you tell us about the Emerald Theatre?
Matt Nicholson (choreographer): It’s a small space, and Dita Von Teese is very used to her Vegas shows and massive theatres. So to have a show like this, where you are literally up close and personal, but it’s still such a spectacle of a show… I think there’s not a lot of shows out there that you can be right next to the action with things like this. We’ve got whips, we’ve got fire, we’ve got everything going on.
Manny Tsakanika (performer): You get to dine at the venue as well, if you want, which is super unique. It’s going to be incredible.
Faye Tozer (performer): There’ll likely be some pre-show entertainment on as well, obviously the dining experience if you choose that. There might be either chilled vibes some nights after the show, or guest DJs as well. It’s gonna be a real place to be. It’s gonna be, like, a new joint in London. It’s gonna be a little bit of Vegas, a little bit of the old world. I think it’s gonna be really, really fun.
Dee Parsons (producer): It’s so intimate. It really invites the audience to be a part of the show. We’ve really broken down the fourth wall. You’re not just sitting and watching a theatrical production. You’re gambling with Miss Kitty.
Tosca Rivola (producer/performer): We’re just opening a wild saloon down by the river. We have, like, a 4am license on the place. After everyone’s done seeing their West End shows and they don’t know where to go because everything’s closed, we’re doing West End Wednesdays. Whatever tickets you have for whatever show, come in for free.
What’s been your favorite part of the process?
Manny Tsakanika (performer): Probably just diving into the burlesque world, understanding their thought process behind why they do certain things. Also, getting to know so many different personalities and characters has been really fun, because everyone comes from different backgrounds. Some people come from deep in burlesque, some people are super new to it.
Faye Tozer (performer): I’m absolutely crazy about the costumes. There’s been six makers just doing Kitty’s costumes alone. We’ve got specialized corset makers. Oh my goodness, my waist has never been so small. The crystals, the feathers, the ruffles… It’s so opulent and luxurious. I think these are the most glorious costumes I’ve ever worn in my life.
For people who have never seen a burlesque show, what makes Diamonds and Dust the perfect introduction?
Debbie Paul (associate choreography): I think because of the fact that it marries lots of different worlds. You’ve also got moments that are more subtle, and then it builds up to moments… I don’t know much we can share, but it’s definitely got a lot of show stopping moments within it.
Manny Tsakanika (performer): I think it’s a really good starting point, and it’s super entertaining from start to finish. There’s wow factor throughout the whole show. There’s something in there for everyone. There’s male dance numbers, there’s female dance numbers. There’s some incredible special acts. Everything you can think of is going on in this show. It’s full of surprises.
Faye Tozer (performer): Because it’s in such a beautiful setting. In the past, burlesque hasn’t always been put in such an opulent setting. Again, this is part of women doing a show about women in a place that women want to be in and to be performing in. So it’s very high end, very luxurious, very bougie, and that’s how it should be. It’s making it classier, more sophisticated, and it’s all about the tease.
Zoë Marshall (performer): Dita Von Teese is involved. She’s the queen of burlesque. Why go to anyone else?
Diamonds and Dust is now playing at the Emerald Theatre – find tickets here
