This is not the first time burlesque icon Dita Von Teese has performed for royalty, performing tonight amidst the fantasia of Monaco’s Casino de Monte-Carlo, with the reigning Monarch of Monaco in attendance. With a revue-style structure and world-class production values, this is a show of many acts, spanning flapper-inspired dance routines involving banana skirts, right through to soapy-shower frolickery. Needless to say, there is much to enjoy.

As for the lazy, languid icon at the centre of this razzle-dazzle extravaganza, Von Teese’s Swan Lake pastiche was on point in every sense of the term, and the Rhinestone Cowboy finale reached genuine heights of aesthetic beauty; if one can describe a cowgirl riding a pink-glitter-encrusted bionic bull in such terms.

At its best, The Art of The Teese combines flamboyance with self-awareness, something most clearly seen in the other performers. With the high octane nipple-tassle propulsions of Dirty Martini (to the Pulp Fiction guitar-riff) and the cape waving, sword waggling, Zorro pastiching, antics of Jett Adore (the only male solo act on the bill), you know where you are. Funny, charismatic, and all the more sexy for it.

Unlike most burlesque shows, there is nothing political here, but The Art of The Teese succeeds in making a grand spectacle out of the essentials. With a little alcoholic lubrication and a dynamic second act, the Monte-Carlo audience rallied for a standing ovation.

The Queen of Burlesque and friends are touring internationally. Many shows already sold out.