Funny Girls

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Funny Girls Showbar
Funny Girls Showbar

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[1][2], 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.

Contents

[edit] 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.

The "Fabulous Finale". July 2004
The "Fabulous Finale". July 2004

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 boothes 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, which also contains "waitress" service boothes and tables, these latter two areas are very popular, and usually need to be reserved months in advance.

  • Doors Open at 7.00pm
  • DJ Zoe welcomes guests at 8.00pm
  • Show commences at 8.30pm
  • Show Finale is at 11.00pm

It is open every night of the week, except Mondays.

The night is scheduled as music and banter by the DJ, interspersed with cabaret every 15 minutes or so, climaxing with a cabaret finale.

The Cabaret is usually composed of showtunes to which the cast mime the vocals, and perform choreographed dance routines and scenes, usually comically, with frequent saucy moments and bouts of innuendo.

“ Blackpool can still lead the way. Look at Funny Girls - it's the best show in the country. There's still nothing like it anywhere else! ”

—Jim Davidson, Blackpool Gazette

[3]

[edit] Cast

Betty "Legs" Diamond Choreographer and Producer of all the shows, Betty is the "headliner" at Funny Girls, and the lead in the cabaret segments.

Zoe is the compere at Funny Girls, and along with Betty, is 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 Betty's drag support performers, and usually engage in the same routines as Betty, often doing their own individual roles on stage and in the finale. They also occasionally have their own number. When Betty is unable to perform, Jade and Amber share the lead role.

Mark, Joe, and Steve 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.

[edit] Celebrity Visitors

Many celebrities have visited Funny Girls, including:

[edit] Backstage Equipment

Funny Girls run frequently changing shows, as big as the West End, and so need a lot of equipment to keep operational.

Stage size

  • 10 metre x 7 metre

Sound desk

  • Heath and Allen GL-2200

Speakers

  • Front of House: Martin Audio
  • Stage: Martin Audio x 2

Equipment

  • Mini-disk Sony MDS-Je770 VRC x 2
  • Television
  • Multimedia Projector Sanyo PLC-XP45L
  • Digitial Video Camera Panasonic NV-DS29EG
  • DVD Toshiba SD-110EB
  • Videonic digital video mixer

Lighting

Front of House:

  • Par 64 par cans x 23
  • Martin 500E scan
  • Tas Prospot 575 x 3
  • Martin Raptor x 2
  • Tas pro wash 575 x 6
  • Strand Geni Burst BR-5 x 2
  • P-lite Led canopy

Stage:

  • Avolites Pearl 2000 lighting desk
  • Win Commander showlite software
  • Dell Pentium computer
  • Dimming pack 24 channel x 6
  • Par 64 par scans x 20
  • Chroma key colour x 12
  • Martin robolocolour pro 400
  • Pulsar profile spot x 6
  • Bank x 3
  • Martin raptor x 3
  • Par 56 par cans x 4
  • Geni Burst BR-2
  • Martin 500e scan
  • LED starcloth
  • LED legs x 3

Equipment General

  • Flying bars x 26
  • Electric x 3
  • Jem Heavy fog controller 2500
  • Revolve - 6 metre
  • Portable elevator
  • Le Maitre pyroflash system
  • Glitter ball 4ft

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1], IMDb listing for Royal Variety Performers 2005
  2. ^ [2], IMDb listing for Royal Variety Performers 2004
  3. ^ [3], Official ITP Website

[edit] External links