Miss Polly Rae

Last updated

Miss Polly Rae (born 8 July 1981) is a British singer, dancer, and Neo-burlesque performer.

Contents

Burlesque career

Polly Jane Rae was born in Preston, Lancashire, England.

Polly's burlesque career began in 2006, after seeing a poster for a burlesque course run by Jo King and the London Academy of Burlesque at Danceworks studios. [1] She attended the course and completely inspired by Jo and her teachings she decided to form her seven girl troupe Hurly Burly (including herself). Taking creative inspiration from 1940s and 1950s pin-ups such as Bettie Page, Tempest Storm and Marilyn Monroe to modern artists like Madonna and revue shows such as Le Crazy Horse in Paris, their first show was held at the Soho Revue Bar (formerly the Raymond Revue Bar) in Soho in 2006. [2] It was such a success that it led to a residency at the bar, another residency at Volupte (a burlesque supper club in the heart of the legal district) – and then a move to the Leicester Square Theatre in London's West End. This show received acclaim from several critics including The Stage and What's On Stage. [3] In 2007 Hurly Burly won Best Troupe at the Ministry Of Burlesque awards. [4] They have appeared on the Alan Titchmarsh Show. [5] February 2010 brought the launch of Miss Polly Rae: The All New Hurly Burly Show, with special guest act Elouise, directed by William Baker. Musical direction was by Steve Anderson. The show received high acclaim from critics such as Michael Billington (The Guardian) and Charles Spencer ( The Daily Telegraph ), amongst others, and it returned to the Garrick Theatre in the West End, newly named The Hurly Burly Show, until May 2011. [6] [7] [8] Miss Polly Rae and her Hurly Burly Girlys have collectively worked alongside Dusty Limits, Frisky and Mannish, Ivy Paige, Lady Carol, Stewart Pemberton, Frank Sanazi and James Devine.

Miss Polly Rae is also a singer, and sings songs by the likes of Peggy Lee, Shirley Bassey, Mae West and Doris Day. She has had solo success. In 2007 she was recruited as part of a touring performance team for Agent Provocateur and appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show . [5] In 2008 she became the face of the No 1 Eidos computer game Battlestations Pacific as a wartime sweetheart. [9] In 2015, she won the Best Burlesque award at the London Cabaret Awards. [10]

Related Research Articles

Striptease Erotic dance

A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or exotic dancer.

Burlesque Literary, dramatic or musical work or genre

A 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. The word derives from the Italian burlesco, which, in turn, is derived from the Italian burla – a joke, ridicule or mockery.

Windmill Theatre Theatre and cinema in Londons Soho

The Windmill Theatre in Great Windmill Street, London, was a variety and revue theatre best known for its nude tableaux vivants, which began in 1932 and lasted until its reversion to a cinema in 1964. Many prominent British comedians of the post-war years started their careers at the theatre.

Raymond Revuebar

The Raymond Revuebar (1958–2004) was a theatre and strip club at 11 Walker's Court, in the centre of London's Soho district. For many years, it was the only venue in London that offered full-frontal, on-stage nudity of the sort commonly seen in other cities in Europe and North America. Its huge brightly lit sign declaring it to be the "World Centre of Erotic Entertainment" made the Revuebar a local landmark.

Steve Anderson (musician) British musician, songwriter and record producer

Stephen John Anderson is a British musician, songwriter and record producer, whose most recognisable work is as Kylie Minogue's collaborator on her tours and previous albums. He has also worked on songs and albums for many recording artists such as Britney Spears, Westlife, Christophe Willem, Judy Tzuke and Susan Boyle.

Neo-Burlesque Performing arts genre

Neo-Burlesque, or New Burlesque, is the revival and updating of the traditional American burlesque performance. Though based on the traditional burlesque art, the new form encompasses a wider range of performance styles; neo-burlesque acts can range from anything from classic striptease to modern dance to theatrical mini-dramas to comedic mayhem.

Dusty Limits

Dusty Limits is an Australian-born cabaret singer and comedian based in the United Kingdom, and one of the leading figures on the "new cabaret" scene.

Jonny Woo British comedian, actor and drag queen

Jonny Woo is a British comedian, actor and drag queen. He co-owns The Glory, an East London pub in which he regularly performs.

Anna Frangiosa American cabaret performer

Anna Frangiosa is a Philadelphia-based theater artist, costume designer, burlesque performer, director, instructor and model.

Gentry de Paris is a Paris-based burlesque dancer, art director, and playwright.

American burlesque Genre of variety show

American burlesque is a genre of variety show derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall and minstrel shows. Burlesque became popular in America in the late 1860s and slowly evolved to feature ribald comedy and female nudity. By the late 1920s, the striptease element overshadowed the comedy and subjected burlesque to extensive local legislation. Burlesque gradually lost popularity beginning in the 1940s. A number of producers sought to capitalize on nostalgia for the entertainment by recreating burlesque on the stage and in Hollywood films from the 1930s to the 1960s. There has been a resurgence of interest in this format since the 1990s.

The Wam Bam Club is a cabaret and burlesque show. It is staged every Friday night as "Wam Bam Late" at the Hippodrome, London and every Saturday night as Wam Bam Riviera aboard the R. S. Hispaniola on the Embankment with host/curator Lady Alex and resident acts the Wam Bam Belles. Guests can take part in a burlesque class beforehand and meals are served during the show.

Polly Perkins is a British actress, singer and writer. Perkins rose to fame in the 1960s as a popstar, going on to regularly appear in theatre and cabaret throughout the UK. She is known for playing Rose Cotton, the half-sister of Dot Cotton, in the BBC soap opera EastEnders between 2011 and 2012.

Fred Boot Dutch theatre producer

Fred Boot is a Dutch theatre producer.

Vedette (cabaret) Female entertainers with multiple talents for singing, dancing, or acting

A vedette is the main female artist of a show derived from cabaret and its subcategories of revue, vaudeville, music hall or burlesque. The purpose of the vedette is to entertain and captivate the public. The vedette has to know how to sing, dance and act on stage. Particularly accomplished artistes are considered super vedettes or first vedettes. Vedettes often appear alongside groups of dancers, flashy and revealing costumes, magicians, comedians, jugglers, or even performing animals. Vedettes specializing in burlesque generally do striptease and may also perform nude on stage.

<i>Lesburlesque</i>

Lesburlesque is a British troupe of over thirty burlesque performers that perform on the cabaret circuit. They are notable for being the first and only burlesque troupe in the UK that performs lesbian burlesque. Following on from the success of Los Angeles-based girl band and dance troupe, the Pin Up Girls, Lesburlesque appeared on the burlesque scene in September 2010. They came to wider public attention in 2012 for having performed at a former church and continue to incorporate traditionally lesbian specific cabaret entertainment, such as drag kinging to broadening its appeal to the wider cabaret circuit.

BenDeLaCreme American drag performer

BenDeLaCreme is the stage persona of Benjamin Putnam, an American drag queen, burlesque performer, and actor based in Seattle, Washington. He is known for being a contestant on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars. He is also known for his solo shows Ready To Be Committed, Terminally Delightful, Inferno A-Go-Go and Cosmos, and as co-creator and host of burlesque revues Freedom Fantasia and Homo for the Holidays.

Hurlyburly is a 1984 dark comedy play by David Rabe.

Jayde Adams

Jayde Pricilla Gail Adams is a British comedian, actress, writer and singer from Bristol. She is the winner of the 2014 Funny Women award and 2016 nominee for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards.

References

  1. ↑ "Miss Polly Rae and her Hurly Burly Girlys". Time Out London. 2008-03-19. Archived from the original on 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  2. ↑ "Glam rocks: Meet the stars who are taking cabaret mainstream" . The Independent. 2011-06-26. Archived from the original on 2022-05-15. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  3. ↑ Michael Billington (2010-02-26). "Miss Polly Rae: The All New Hurly Burly Show | Theatre review | Stage". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
  4. ↑ "A Hurly Burly Arts autumn". www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  5. 1 2 BWW News Desk (2009-10-01). "MISS POLLY RAE: The All New Hurly Burly Show Plays the Leicester Square Theatre February 23–28". Broadway World. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  6. ↑ Leo Benedictus (2010-03-03). "What to say about ... Miss Polly Rae's Hurly Burly Show | Culture". London: theguardian.com. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
  7. ↑ Spencer, Charles (2010-02-25). "The All New Hurly Burly Show at Leicester Square Theatre, review". London: Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
  8. ↑ Billington, Michael (2010-02-26). "Miss Polly Rae: The All New Hurly Burly Show | Theatre review". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  9. ↑ Dudley, Craig (2009-04-17). "Battlestations: Pacific 'Polly Rae' Screenshots". Gameslave.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  10. ↑ "London Cabaret Awards: Polly Rae and Bettsie Bon Bon Shine at Ceremony ⋆ 21st Century Burlesque Magazine". 21st Century Burlesque Magazine. 2015-03-14. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.