Miss Polly Rae
Encyclopedia
Miss Polly Rae is a singer and dancer based in the United Kingdom and is one of the leading figures on the current burlesque
scene.
, Tempest Storm
and Marilyn Monroe
to modern artists like Madonna
and revue shows such as Le Crazy Horse in Paris
, their very first show was held at the Soho Revue Bar (formerly the infamous Raymond Revue Bar) in Soho
on 19 April 2006. It was such a roaring 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 excellent acclaim from several critics including The Stage
and What's On Stage.
Polly his famed for her vocal ability and sings songs by the likes of Peggy Lee
, Shirley Bassey
, Mae West
and Doris Day
.
In 2007 Hurly Burly won Best Troupe at the Ministry Of Burlesque awards. They have appeared several times on the Alan Titchmarsh Show and opened the Prima
Fashion Awards.
Miss Polly has had much solo success so far also. In 2007 she was recruited as part of a touring performance team for Agent Provocateur
and appeared on the Paul O'Grady show.
In 2008 she became the face of the No 1 Eidos computer game Battlestations Pacific as a wartime sweetheart.
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
.
Polly has also appeared in music videos for The Holloways
, Mickey Modelle ft. Jesse and most recently in Kasabian's "Where Did All the Love Go?".
She also performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
alongside Bellowhead
and sang Happy Birthday to Muhammad Al Fayed's son.
February 2010 brought the launch of "Miss Polly Rae: The All New Hurly Burly Show", with special guest act Elouise, directed by William Baker. His 15-year career spans the arts from celebrated stylist and photographer to author and West End director. Critically acclaimed as Creative Director for Kylie Minogue and collaborations with numerous other artists including Britney Spears, Bjork and Jamiroquai.
Baker focused his gold star standards on the show with original direction, set design and couture outfits – all the high end production values that London’s West End is famed for, something new for London’s modern burlesque genre.
Musical direction was by producer, remixer and songwriter Steve Anderson who has worked on records by Kylie Minogue, Take That, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Paul McCartney and The Pet Shop Boys.
The show received high acclaim from critics Michael Billington (The Daily Mail) and Charles Spencer (The Telegraph), amongst others, and it has returned to the Garrick Theatre
in the West End, newly named ‘The Hurly Burly Show’, until May 2011.
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...
scene.
Miss Polly Rae
Polly Jane Rae was born on 8 July 1981 in Preston, Lancashire. She was educated at Penwortham Girls High School. Her mother (Heather Gillespie (née Rae)), is a Banking Advisor. Her Father (Philip Rae) was a model maker who worked on Ridley Scott's film Alien and for Gerry Anderson's (of Thunderbirds fame) Terrahawks. She also has a Stepfather(Shaun Gillespie)who is a musician along with a younger brother, two stepbrothers (Edward and Philip) and a stepsister (Helen). Along with another member her stepfather and stepbrothers have formed (The Beat Brothers), a very successful (Beatles) tribute band who regularly perform at the world renowned Cavern Club in Liverpool.Burlesque career
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. She attended the course and completely inspired by Jo and her teachings she decided to form her 7 girl troupe Hurly Burly (including herself). The girleys currently are: Jennifer White, Sarah Louise Buckle, Katie Ella, Sophie Zucchini, Fallon Donakey, Kathryn McLauglin and fronted, of course, by Polly Rae. Taking creative inspiration from iconic 40s and 50s pin-ups such as Bettie PageBettie Page
Bettie Mae Page was an American model who became famous in the 1950s for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos. She has often been called the "Queen of Pinups"...
, Tempest Storm
Tempest Storm
Tempest Storm is the stage name of an American stripper, burlesque star, and motion picture actress. Along with Lili St. Cyr and Blaze Starr, she was one of the best known burlesque performers of the 1950s and 1960s. She is regarded as having one of the longest careers as a burlesque performer,...
and Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
to modern artists like Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
and revue shows such as Le Crazy Horse in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, their very first show was held at the Soho Revue Bar (formerly the infamous Raymond Revue Bar) in Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
on 19 April 2006. It was such a roaring 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
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
. This show received excellent acclaim from several critics including The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
and What's On Stage.
Polly his famed for her vocal ability and sings songs by the likes of Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
, Shirley Bassey
Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
, Mae West
Mae West
Mae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
and Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
.
In 2007 Hurly Burly won Best Troupe at the Ministry Of Burlesque awards. They have appeared several times on the Alan Titchmarsh Show and opened the Prima
Prima
Prima may refer to:*Prima , a human rights news agency in Moscow*Prima , a locomotive type by Alstom*Prima , an Autobot leader in Transformers*Prima TV, a Romanian television channel...
Fashion Awards.
Miss Polly has had much solo success so far also. In 2007 she was recruited as part of a touring performance team for Agent Provocateur
Agent Provocateur (lingerie)
Agent Provocateur is a British lingerie retailer founded in 1994 by Joseph Corré and Serena Rees. The first shop was opened on London's Broadwick Street in the Soho district in 1994. Since then, the company has opened 30 stores in 13 countries across the globe. In 2007, Agent Provocateur was...
and appeared on the Paul O'Grady show.
In 2008 she became the face of the No 1 Eidos computer game Battlestations Pacific as a wartime sweetheart.
Miss Polly Rae and her Hurly Burly Girlys have collectively worked alongside Dusty Limits
Dusty Limits
Dusty Limits is a cabaret singer and comedian based in the United Kingdom, and one of the leading figures on the “new cabaret” scene.-Biography:Dusty Limits first appeared in cabaret in Brisbane, Australia, and made his European debut in 1999...
, Frisky and Mannish
Frisky and Mannish
Frisky & Mannish is a musical comedy cabaret double act based in London, England.Formed in March 2008 by writers and performers Laura Corcoran and Matthew Floyd Jones, the duo is best known for a style of pop culture parody that consists of the musical and dramatic rearrangement of well-known pop...
, Ivy Paige, Lady Carol, Stewart Pemberton, Frank Sanazi and James Devine
James Devine
In less than a decade, James Devine has emerged as a multi-talented leader in the percussive dance world. Not only certified by the Guinness World Record as “The Fastest Dancer in the World,” Devine is a master Irish dancer and Hoofer...
.
Polly has also appeared in music videos for The Holloways
The Holloways
The Holloways are a four-piece indie-rock band from North London.-Formation:David Jackson and Bryn Fowler established the beginnings of the band, finding Rob Skipper at a local live music venue. They would meet later to jam together, playing in future drummer Dave Danger's room...
, Mickey Modelle ft. Jesse and most recently in Kasabian's "Where Did All the Love Go?".
She also performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
alongside Bellowhead
Bellowhead
Bellowhead are an English contemporary folk band originally brought together by John Spiers and Jon Boden. The eleven-piece band plays traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide diversity of musical styles and influences...
and sang Happy Birthday to Muhammad Al Fayed's son.
February 2010 brought the launch of "Miss Polly Rae: The All New Hurly Burly Show", with special guest act Elouise, directed by William Baker. His 15-year career spans the arts from celebrated stylist and photographer to author and West End director. Critically acclaimed as Creative Director for Kylie Minogue and collaborations with numerous other artists including Britney Spears, Bjork and Jamiroquai.
Baker focused his gold star standards on the show with original direction, set design and couture outfits – all the high end production values that London’s West End is famed for, something new for London’s modern burlesque genre.
Musical direction was by producer, remixer and songwriter Steve Anderson who has worked on records by Kylie Minogue, Take That, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Paul McCartney and The Pet Shop Boys.
The show received high acclaim from critics Michael Billington (The Daily Mail) and Charles Spencer (The Telegraph), amongst others, and it has returned to the Garrick Theatre
Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster. It opened on 24 April 1889 with The Profligate, a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. In its early years, it appears to have specialised in the performance of melodrama, and today the theatre is a...
in the West End, newly named ‘The Hurly Burly Show’, until May 2011.
External links
- Hurly Burly Website
- William Shoot Video
- [Miss Polly Rae Is The News - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrgEcl4QwIg]
- [Miss Polly Rae On Pineapple Dance Studios - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gzZj5CU308]