Funny Girls

Funny Girls Location in Blackpool
Former names	Blackpool Odeon
Address	5 Dickson Road
Location	Blackpool, Lancashire, England
Coordinates	53°49′16″N 3°03′05″W / 53.8211°N 3.0515°W / 53.8211; -3.0515
Owner	Basil Newby
Operator	Basil Newby
Type	Showbar
Construction
Opened	6 May 1939 (1939-05-06)
Renovated	2002
Website
www.funnygirlsshow.co.uk

Funny Girls is a burlesque cabaret bar on the North Shore of Blackpool, England. Created up in 1994, it is owned by English entrepreneur and businessman Basil Newby. The cast of the show is composed of male dancers and drag performers. The showbar is in what was once the Blackpool Odeon, which was Odeon's largest original cinema in the United Kingdom.

Venue

Funny Girls was originally opened in Blackpool 1994 and was located on the corner of Queen Street and The Strand. Funny Girls relocated to the former Odeon Cinema on Dickson Road in 2002.^[1]

The cinema was designed by Robert Bullivant and was opened on 6 May 1939. It has a capacity of 3,000 and is the largest original Odeon cinema. It was converted into a 3-screen cinema in 1975. In 1994, the building was registered as a Grade II listed building.^[2] The cinema closed on 5 December 1998.^[3][4]

Basil Newby took over the old Odeon in 2002 and had it re-decorated in the traditional Art Deco style. In 2019, Thwaites Brewery took over the venue, but sold it back to Newby later that year.^[3][5]

Cast

CeCe Divine, Lead Dancer

DJ Zoe and DJ Carmen are the hosts at Funny Girls.

The Funny Girls cast have performed at various platforms including the Royal Variety Performance.^[6][7] 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.

Critical reception

Blackpool can still lead the way. Look at Funny Girls - it's the best show in the country. there is no place like it to celebrate a special occasion. There's still nothing like it anywhere else!

— Jim Davidson, Blackpool Gazette^[8]