Vaudeville
Definition
Vaudeville was a type of entertainment popular in the US from the late 19th to early 20th century. It consisted of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill such as musicians, dancers, comedians, trained animals, magicians, female and male impersonators.
Analogy
Think of Vaudeville as the Netflix of its time. Just like how you can find different genres (comedy, drama, action) all in one place on Netflix today, people could enjoy various types of performances all in one show at a vaudeville theater.
Related terms
Minstrel Show: A form of American entertainment that was popular worldwide from the 1830s to the early 20th century. It involved comic skits, variety acts and music performed by white people in blackface.
Burlesque: A genre of variety show that is both provocative and comedic. It features striptease style performances and was popular from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries.
Music Hall: A type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. It involved a mixture of popular songs, comedy and speciality acts.
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