Ivy Paige: Kiss and Sell

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The great 2000s burlesque revival succeeded in cementing the scene, both at the Fringe and in the popular imagination. A few years later, most of the novelty acts have faded away, while the ones backed up by actual talent have endured. As her latest return to Edinburgh demonstrates, Ivy Paige is definitely among the latter.

For those unfamiliar with Lucinda Ryan's corset-clad alter-ego, Ivy Paige is not a modernising update or a postmodern reimagining, but pure, classic burlesque, tinged with a little self-parody. The running joke throughout is that, for all Paige's sparkling pretentions of glamour and class, she cannot hide a streak of vulgarity a mile long – not that she particularly wants to. The end result is the mind of Mae West in the body of Bettie Page, with the appetites of Anna Nicole Smith thrown in.

While the banter is as unapologetically unsubtle as ever—and sometimes depends on how good-natured the audience is feeling—the real draw is, as always, Paige's voice, so huge and powerful it seems impossible that it could emerge from such a tiny form. Whether working her way through cabaret classics, pop covers or original material composed by Dexy's Midnight Runners' Pete Saunders (who remains her stalwart accompanist on the piano), Paige reminds us that, behind the sequins and double-entendres, she is a serious musical talent with considerable range. While those who have seen her previous Fringe offerings may find some parts familiar, the shameless Ms Paige's best moments bear repeating.