place as a footnote of show business history.

However, there was still time for an encore, and it came in the shape of the movies.

Gypsy Rose Lee, so demurely played by Natalie Wood in the 1957 movie Gypsy, was an actress, author and playwright. As a performer she was the woman who put ’tease’ into ‘striptease’ and helped make Burlesque more mainstream. Her 1941 novel, The G-String Murders, was even made into film called Lady of Burlesque starring Barbara Stanwyck in 1943.

With her books, radio shows, feature films and television appearances she probably did more to keep Burlesque alive than almost anyone else; she became the acceptable and recognisable face of the art. Even 45 years aſter her death at the comparatively young age of 59, she remains a popular entertainment icon and the unchallenged Queen of Burlesque.

By the turn of the 21st century the public was growing tired of sleazy back-street strip clubs and overly graphic sexual

“We wanted something unique mixing burlesque, cabaret and fetish, a little circus, rockabilly and vintage, with a bit of gay club vibe.”

:Tina Warren

imagery. There was a demand for a return to the humour and glamour of Burlesque in the Gypsy Rose Lee tradition. A new generation of entertainers, wearing ever more elaborate costumes and performing in front of increasingly ambitious sets, quickly struck a chord with a fresh audience across the country.

Entrepreneurial impresarios such as Club Noir were among the early innovators of the new style. They took burlesque back to its roots, providing an ever increasing growing fan base with a variety of skilled performers as well as everyone’s favourite atraction, a plethora of glamorous girlie show acts.

“From the very beginning we knew that it was important to put in a lot of effort,

August 2015 55