Funny Girls
Corporate brand
UnclaimedFunny Girls is a Blackpool burlesque cabaret showbar featuring male dancers and drag performers.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Funny Girls is a burlesque cabaret showbar on Blackpool's North Shore in England. The venue combines a theatrical stage production with a nightlife and entertainment setting, and is known for performances by male dancers and drag artists. Rather than operating as a conventional consumer-goods brand, Funny Girls functions primarily as a destination entertainment brand built around its resident show, venue identity, performers, and association with Blackpool's nightlife and theatrical culture. The business was established in Blackpool in 1994. Its original location stood at the corner of Queen Street and The Strand. In 2002, Funny Girls moved to the former Odeon Cinema on Dickson Road, a substantially larger and historically significant building. The former cinema had opened on 6 May 1939, was designed by Robert Bullivant, and had originally accommodated approximately 3,000 people. It was described as the largest original Odeon cinema in the United Kingdom. The building was later converted into a three-screen cinema in 1975 and received Grade II listed status in 1994. The cinema closed in December 1998 before being adapted for Funny Girls. Basil Newby took over the former Odeon in 2002 and redecorated it in an Art Deco style, connecting the showbar's identity with the building's cinematic heritage. The relocation gave Funny Girls a distinctive physical setting and helped establish the venue as a recognizable Blackpool attraction. In 2019, Thwaites Brewery took over the venue, although ownership returned to Newby later in the same year. The available reference material does not identify a separate parent group or publicly listed corporate structure. The Funny Girls performance format is centered on a hosted cabaret presentation. DJ Carmen is identified as the show's host, while the cast has included male dancers and drag performers. The performers have appeared on platforms beyond the venue itself, including the Royal Variety Performance. Funny Girls has also been associated with television appearances and productions: the venue or its performers have featured in interviews and in television contexts including the BBC drama Blackpool, where the showbar served as a backdrop. The brand's positioning is therefore local, theatrical, and nightlife-oriented rather than mass-market. Its principal audience proposition is a live entertainment experience delivered in a landmark Blackpool venue. The available sources do not provide verified revenue, attendance, pricing, detailed corporate leadership, or a complete chronology of individual performers. Accordingly, the brand is best described as a privately owned specialist entertainment venue whose identity rests on cabaret performance, drag culture, its Blackpool location, and its converted Art Deco cinema setting.
History
Funny Girls was established in Blackpool in 1994 as a burlesque cabaret showbar. Its first premises were located at the corner of Queen Street and The Strand. The business later moved to the former Odeon Cinema on Dickson Road in 2002, giving the brand a larger and more historically distinctive home on Blackpool's North Shore. The building occupied by the showbar was originally opened as an Odeon cinema on 6 May 1939. Designed by Robert Bullivant, it had a stated capacity of 3,000 and was regarded as the largest original Odeon cinema in the United Kingdom. In 1975, the cinema was converted into a three-screen venue. The building was registered as a Grade II listed building in 1994, the same year Funny Girls was originally founded. The cinema closed on 5 December 1998, leaving the premises available for later redevelopment. Basil Newby took over the former Odeon in 2002 and had the interior redecorated in an Art Deco style. The adaptation linked the show's entertainment identity to the architectural character of the former cinema, making the building an important part of the Funny Girls experience. The venue is not simply a stage brand detached from a physical location; its Blackpool setting and former cinema architecture are central elements of its public identity. The show is built around live cabaret, with a cast composed of male dancers and drag performers. DJ Carmen is identified as the host. The cast has performed on wider platforms, including the Royal Variety Performance, and Funny Girls has had television exposure through interviews and appearances in television contexts. The showbar itself was used as a backdrop in the BBC drama Blackpool, extending awareness of the venue beyond its regular visitors. Ownership of the venue changed temporarily in 2019, when Thwaites Brewery took it over. The brewery later sold the venue back to Basil Newby during the same year. The available reference material does not document a broader corporate group, public listing, financial results, or a detailed succession of managers and performers. Funny Girls is consequently best understood as a privately owned specialist live-entertainment venue, with its brand equity derived from its long-running Blackpool presence, cabaret format, drag and dance performances, and landmark Art Deco setting.
- 2019
Venue ownership changes and returns
[1]Thwaites Brewery took over the venue and later sold it back to Basil Newby in the same year.
- 2002
Funny Girls relocates to the former Odeon
[1]Funny Girls moved to the former Odeon Cinema on Dickson Road. Basil Newby took over the building and redecorated it in an Art Deco style.
- 1998
Former cinema closes
[1]The Odeon cinema building closed on 5 December 1998 before its later use by Funny Girls.
- 1994
Funny Girls is established
[1]Funny Girls opened in Blackpool at premises on the corner of Queen Street and The Strand.
- 1994
Building receives Grade II listed status
[1]The former cinema building was registered as a Grade II listed building.
- 1975
Cinema converted to three screens
[1]The former Odeon was converted into a three-screen cinema.
- 1939
Former Odeon cinema opens
[1]The building later used by Funny Girls opened as an Odeon cinema on 6 May 1939.
Products and positioning
A theatrical Blackpool nightlife destination combining burlesque cabaret, drag performance, male dancers, and a distinctive former cinema venue.
Live entertainment · 1994
Funny Girls cabaret show
The core offering is a live burlesque and cabaret production presented at the Blackpool showbar. Its cast is composed of male dancers and drag performers, with DJ Carmen identified as host. The show is designed as a theatrical nightlife experience rather than a conventional seated theatre production.
Nightlife venue · 2002
Funny Girls showbar
The showbar is the physical destination through which the Funny Girls brand is delivered. Since 2002 it has operated in the former Odeon Cinema on Dickson Road in Blackpool. The building's Art Deco redecoration and cinema history form part of the venue's distinctive entertainment proposition.
Brand decisions
2019
Temporary transfer to Thwaites BreweryM&ABackground
The Funny Girls venue changed hands during 2019.
Action taken
Thwaites Brewery took over the venue and subsequently sold it back to Basil Newby later that year.
Aftermath
Ownership returned to Newby within the same year. No verified transaction value is provided in the reference material.
2002
Relocation to the former Odeon CinemaStrategyBackground
Funny Girls had originally operated at the corner of Queen Street and The Strand. The former Odeon Cinema on Dickson Road had closed in 1998 and offered a larger, architecturally distinctive setting.
Action taken
The showbar moved to the former cinema, which Basil Newby took over and redecorated in an Art Deco style.
Aftermath
The relocation established the current venue identity and tied the brand to a landmark former cinema on Blackpool's North Shore.
Sources2 sources
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