Miss Polly Rae: Between the Sheets at Udderbelly Festival

The ever-popular Udderbelly at London’s Southbank tonight presents queen of burlesque Miss Polly Rae and her troupe of dancers. 

Dressed in luminous ruffles, the first act of the revue is an eye opener, as she bares it all apart from her nipples, which are covered by tassels, and a barely-covers-anything thong. Miss Polly Rae flirts with the crowd between acts, sexual innuendoes galore – “I can see you’re excited sir”, “I’m positively dripping with excitement” – referring to the show being one big orgy on the Southbank. 

Two male dancers perform short snippets of dance, one moment grinding, the next doing the booty shake. The soundtrack changes from Justin Timberlake’s Sexy Back to Silk’s Freak Me Baby, then Peter Andre’s Mysterious Girl, and their choreography reflects the musical variation. The set gets dirtier with time, the performers eventually stripping all, covering themselves with towels, thrusting their pelvises so the audience thinks they’re seeing their privates. Thankfully (or not, depending on your mood) the men are wearing thongs, the lights having created an illusion.

Rae’s assistant, Lilly SnatchDragon from Taiwan, appears, big and busty, wearing a beautiful bejewelled glistening kimono and corset. She plays with political correctness, politics (Brexit) and her own dire straits and desire to get permanent British residency. Though perhaps funny to some, the humour feels like it was dug up from the 70s, complete with racial stereotypes and outdated comedy.

The burlesque star takes the stage with her troupe, dressed as stewards and stewardesses; but the ladies seem to find it difficult to keep their clothes on, this time stripping completely down to nipple tassels and diamonds over their private front bits. 

Fire maestro Kitty Bang Bang gives the performance of the night, eating fire and blowing huge flames across the circus tent, so much so that the heat can be felt. The circus dance with ceiling hoop, along with contemporary dance duo representing gay love between two men, shows the performers are on point and very skilled. 

Though Rae’s Between the Sheets touches on love, the running theme is sex, echoing the famous phrase: sex sells. The performance doesn’t seem to know what it is – a strip show or burlesque revue. On the whole the show appears to be aimed at men – both straight and gay – with the women missing out, sitting somewhat glumly next to their excited partners, proving sometimes that more is more. 

Selina Begum
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Between the Sheets is at Udderbelly Festival on selected dates from 15^th June until 29^th September 2017. For further information or to book visit here.

Watch the trailer for Miss Polly Rae: Between the Sheets here: