Vaudeville 1881-1920
Before vaudeville
Before the American civil war theatre in America was dominated by burlesque and acts that featured many risqué things. Theatre was not only a place to be entertained it was a place for men to have a drink. Mainly aimed at an all male audience after the civil war
Before vaudeville
Before the American civil war theatre in America was dominated by burlesque and acts that featured many risqué things. Theatre was not only a place to be entertained it was a place for men to have a drink. Mainly aimed at an all male audience after the civil war
In 1881 a man named Tony Pastor decided that theatre shouldn't be just for men and that these shows featuring a wide variety of different performances in one evening and missing a completely separate audience so he conducted an experiment and put on a cabaret and called it a vaudeville which featured a performance of Shakespeare, acrobatics, singing, dancing and comedy all in the same evening. However he removed all the risque and inappropriate content and aimed not just at the rich but the middle class too. He also banned drinking in the theatre
What did he find out?
He found out that they could make a huge amount of money if they kept putting on performances like this and as years went on in more and more amusements became available to choose from. A handful of circuses regularly toured the country, dime museums appealed to the curious, amusement parks, river boats, and town halls often featured cleaner presentations of variety entertainment while saloons musical halls and burlesque houses catered to those with a taste of risqué
He found out that they could make a huge amount of money if they kept putting on performances like this and as years went on in more and more amusements became available to choose from. A handful of circuses regularly toured the country, dime museums appealed to the curious, amusement parks, river boats, and town halls often featured cleaner presentations of variety entertainment while saloons musical halls and burlesque houses catered to those with a taste of risqué
What was the purpose
The purpose is to not get chocked up or emotionally attached with the performance but it is simply to be entertained over 1880 to the early 1920's they realised the easiest way to this was to make people laugh. Which is why an increasing number of vaudevilles featured comedy sketches. Which were extremely slap stick.
The purpose is to not get chocked up or emotionally attached with the performance but it is simply to be entertained over 1880 to the early 1920's they realised the easiest way to this was to make people laugh. Which is why an increasing number of vaudevilles featured comedy sketches. Which were extremely slap stick.
The demise of vaudeville
As the years went on vaudeville became more and more popular appealing to many different audiences and featured for the first time Irish performers or black performers
However technology also became vaudevilles competition as silent movies had started to come at the cinema and the cinema was a much cheaper option for the public as the theatre isn't the cheapest place for entertainment
So consequently vaudevilles in theatre became less common as they could not support themselves as much as they once could.
As the years went on vaudeville became more and more popular appealing to many different audiences and featured for the first time Irish performers or black performers
However technology also became vaudevilles competition as silent movies had started to come at the cinema and the cinema was a much cheaper option for the public as the theatre isn't the cheapest place for entertainment
So consequently vaudevilles in theatre became less common as they could not support themselves as much as they once could.
So what now?
As we have progressed vaudeville has been reborn into shows like Britain's got talent and the royal variety show
However we also have kept the comedy sketches that were brought to life by vaudeville. Like Morecambe and wise, Laurel and Hardy
This is called the new vaudeville
39 steps is a spoof of vaudeville performances
As we have progressed vaudeville has been reborn into shows like Britain's got talent and the royal variety show
However we also have kept the comedy sketches that were brought to life by vaudeville. Like Morecambe and wise, Laurel and Hardy
This is called the new vaudeville
39 steps is a spoof of vaudeville performances
What makes it new vaudeville
Over the top physicality
Comedy sketch type of performance
No character relationship with the audience
Often recognising your audience or acknowledging they're there
Voices are useful
Over the top physicality
Comedy sketch type of performance
No character relationship with the audience
Often recognising your audience or acknowledging they're there
Voices are useful
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