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As America, especially America’s middle class, began to expand after the Civil War, so did the American variety show, better know as Vaudeville. ... Vaudeville’s origins are as unclear as its name. We know that the term “vaudeville” has it’s origins in the French Language but we are unsure how it came to be applied to the American variety show. Vaudeville was the most popular form of entertainment in America from eighteen-fifty to the mid nineteen-twenties. Vaudeville shows were neither “low” entertainment like the burlesque shows of the time, nor “high” entertainment such as the academically challenging plays and operas of the time. Vaudeville was the first time theater was available to the general public in America.
Vaudeville began humbly as a form of entertainment in bars and small theaters. ... Vaudeville shows were immediately a success in New York and while Pastor Pioneered Vaudeville he is not seen as the founder of Vaudeville. (Vaudeville; Columbia Encyclopedia)
The men credited as the founders of American Vaudeville are Benjamin Franklin Keith and Edward Franklin Albee. ... The team began in Boston with the Colonial Theater and eventually expanded all over the country, including New York’s Palace Theater which was the pinnacle of big time Vaudeville. ... As vaudeville expanded so did the lavishness of its theaters. ... A normal Vaudeville show consisted of eight to twenty acts. ... The true lure of Vaudeville was that it had something for everyone. Vaudeville’s acts were fun and the non-intellectual atmospheres made the general public feel at home and forget the worries that much of the working class had during this time. Though Vaudeville shows seemed like a hodgepodge collection of light-hearted and fun acts in reality there was a very specific formula for every Vaudeville show. (Dixon)
Every Vaudeville show followed a very similar pattern. ... This was new, as Vaudeville was the first opportunity for the general public to see dance. ... Vaudeville was also one of the first times African-American dancers were regularly employed.
Approximate Word count = 1635
Approximate Pages = 6.5
(250 words per page double spaced)
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