Exclusive: A burlesque troupe comprising female West End performers that takes its inspiration from US group the Pussycat Dolls is to be launched in the UK next month.
The Show Girls is the brainchild of choreographer Gary Lloyd, whose credits include the recent tour of Aspects of Love and who worked as a mentor to contestants on BBC1’s tribute act show The One and Only.
Lloyd, who runs his own company called Boss Creative Entertainment, has teamed up with theatre producer Jason Ferguson to launch the act.
It will make its debut as part of The MAD Fringe, an event organised by charity TheatreMAD, to be held at the Trafalgar Studios in August.
Speaking to The Stage Lloyd said the aim of The Show Girls was to provide “high-end” female performers who are in between auditions with a project to focus on.
He revealed he intends to have a bank of performers who know the production - which will feature pop songs as well as music from shows - so that the line-up can be changed regularly.
Eight performers will make up the troupe at any one time, with guest stars from the West End and music industry joining the act at each event.
Casting for the main troupe has yet to be announced, but Rachel McDowall, who has played Velma Kelly in the West End production of Chicago and who is in the film version of Mamma Mia!, is to appear as a guest performer as part of the act’s debut.
Zoe Birkett, a finalist in the first series of Pop Idol, will also make an appearance.
“Before their chart success, the Pussycat Dolls started as a burlesque group. That is what this is going to be - a follow on from that. We don’t have anything like that in the UK and we definitely have the need and talent for it,” Lloyd said.
Richard Beadle, who is currently working as musical director on the West End production of Grease, will oversee the singing, while Lloyd will direct and choreograph.
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