Funny Girls
Encyclopedia
Funny Girls is a burlesque
cabaret
showbar on the North Shore of Blackpool
, Lancashire
, the cast comprise male dancers, and drag performers, and are part of In The Pink (ITP) Leisure, owned by Basil Newby
.
The Funny Girls cast have performed on television and before royalty on the Royal Variety Performance
twice, they have also appeared in various television shows either to be interviewed, or where the Funny Girls showbar itself has been the backdrop, such as in the BBC Drama Blackpool.
Funny Girls has three areas for visitors, a downstairs area which is for standing room, these are nearest to the stage, and the cheapest tickets, a raised area behind the seated area with booths for visitors to sit at their own table, with full "waitress" service by the "Bar Trannies" also known as the "Follies", these are the same price range as the balcony, these latter two areas are very popular, and usually need to be reserved months in advance.
Jade and Amber are the lead drag performers, and took over when Betty "Legs" Diamond left the club in 2010. They alternate between who plays the comedic lead throughout the evening.
Talulah and Krystal are new to Funny Girls and are drag performers alongside Jade and Amber.
Mark, Garry, Dan and Reece are the non-drag male performers during the cabaret, and often have their own dance numbers before the main drag performers join a scene. Mark is the show's Dance Captain.
The show usually has 3 or 4 males, and the choreography is altered to accommodate for 3 males if a 4th male has not yet joined the cast.
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
showbar on the North Shore of Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, the cast comprise male dancers, and drag performers, and are part of In The Pink (ITP) Leisure, owned by Basil Newby
Basil Newby
Joseph Warren Basil Newby is a gay entrepreneur and businessman. Simply known as Basil, he was born in the Fylde coast town of Blackpool, Lancashire where he has lived and worked all his life.-Biography:...
.
The Funny Girls cast have performed on television and before royalty on the Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
twice, they have also appeared in various television shows either to be interviewed, or where the Funny Girls showbar itself has been the backdrop, such as in the BBC Drama Blackpool.
The Venue
The Funny Girls showbar is in what was once the Blackpool Odeon. When Basil Newby took over the old Odeon, he had it re-decorated in the traditional Art Deco style, and had both seating balcony and stalls changed into standing and seating areas for observing the show, as well as building several bars, and "Garbo's" Restaurant, to transform the old cinema into a high class venue.Funny Girls has three areas for visitors, a downstairs area which is for standing room, these are nearest to the stage, and the cheapest tickets, a raised area behind the seated area with booths for visitors to sit at their own table, with full "waitress" service by the "Bar Trannies" also known as the "Follies", these are the same price range as the balcony, these latter two areas are very popular, and usually need to be reserved months in advance.
Cast
DJ Zoe is the compere at Funny Girls and is now the only member of the cast to have been at Funny Girls since the very start. She DJ's, tells jokes, takes requests, and joins in with the cabaret finale.Jade and Amber are the lead drag performers, and took over when Betty "Legs" Diamond left the club in 2010. They alternate between who plays the comedic lead throughout the evening.
Talulah and Krystal are new to Funny Girls and are drag performers alongside Jade and Amber.
Mark, Garry, Dan and Reece are the non-drag male performers during the cabaret, and often have their own dance numbers before the main drag performers join a scene. Mark is the show's Dance Captain.
The show usually has 3 or 4 males, and the choreography is altered to accommodate for 3 males if a 4th male has not yet joined the cast.
Celebrity Visitors
Many celebrities have visited Funny Girls, including:- Lenny HenryLenny HenryLenworth George "Lenny" Henry, is a British actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter.- Early life :...
- Dawn French
- David TennantDavid TennantDavid Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
- Michelle HeatonMichelle HeatonMichelle Christine Heaton is a British pop singer, television personality, and recently a glamour model as well. She was married to former boyband member Andy Scott-Lee.-Career:...
- Andy Scott-LeeAndy Scott-LeeAndy Scott-Lee is a Welsh pop star, who is an ex-member of the group 3SL. After the group broke up, he appeared in the second series of Pop Idol, making it to the final seven. Scott-Lee is now a member of the group G*Mania. Scott-Lee's estranged wife is the former Liberty X member, Michelle Heaton...
- Brian CapronBrian CapronBrian Capron, born 11 February 1947 at Eye in Suffolk, is a British actor, who trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art . His father was an Algerian pilot, of French descent, who died in a plane crash before Brian was born....
- Denise Van OutenDenise van OutenDenise van Outen is an English actress, singer and television presenter. Her most notable roles to date are as a presenter on The Big Breakfast, and as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago on both the West End and on Broadway.- Early life :Born Denise Kathleen Outen in Basildon, Essex, she is the...
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- Richard Wilson
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