How Much Do You Know About The History of Burlesque?
How Much Do You Know About The History of Burlesque?
Think you know everything (or a lot of things, let’s be honest, no one knows everything about anything) about burlesque? Read on, you might be surprised about the real origins of this classic performing art.
What is Burlesque?
A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
The word derives from the Italian burlesco, which, in turn, is derived from the Italian burla – a joke, ridicule or mockery.
Keep that in mind. Burlesque is a mockery.
Victorian Burlesque in the 17th and 18th Centuries
Victorian burlesque, sometimes known as “travesty” or “extravaganza”, was popular in London theatres between the 1830s and the 1890s. It took the form of musical theatre parody in which a well-known opera, play or ballet was adapted into a broad comic play, usually a musical, often risqué in style, mocking the theatrical and musical conventions and styles of the original work, and quoting text or music from the original work.
They were literally mocking the classics, yo!
1868 First Onstage Tease
The credit for the first onstage tease in America goes to Lydia Thompson, the ambitious music-hall darling behind the peroxided burlesque troupe called “The British Blondes.”
Their first success in New York was with Ixion (1868). The mythological spoof saw women playing men’s roles.
A female-run production that showed under-dressed, attractive women mimicking patriarchs’ roles, including as sexual aggressors, pushed boundaries. No wonder the show was a hit! Lydia Thompson’s first season in the city grossed over $370,000.
Can we give it up for the OG babe of drag?
American Variety Shows in the 1860s
A later use of the term, particularly in the United States, refers to performances in a variety show format. These were popular from the 1860s to the 1940s, often in cabarets and clubs, as well as theatres, and featured bawdy comedy and female striptease.
1907 The Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies take the stage on Broadway for the first time.
The show opened in July 1907 at the New York Theatre and featured a scantily clad chorus line of beautiful women. Beginning in 1911, the show became known as the Ziegfeld Follies.
Minsky’s at the Winter Garden
The entertainments were given in clubs and cabarets, as well as music halls and theatres. By the early 20th century, there were two national circuits of burlesque shows competing with the vaudeville circuit, as well as resident companies in New York, such as Minsky’s at the Winter Garden.
Burlesque Gradually Becomes Striptease
The transition from burlesque on the old lines to striptease was gradual. At first, soubrettes showed off their figures while singing and dancing; some were less active but compensated by appearing in elaborate stage costumes.
The strippers gradually supplanted the singing and dancing soubrettes; by 1932 there were at least 150 strip principals in the US.
What the heck is a soubrette?
noun
- an actress or other female performer playing a lively, flirtatious role in a play or opera.
So, now you know.
Star Strippers in the 1930s
Star strippers included Sally Rand, Gypsy Rose Lee, Tempest Storm, Lili St. Cyr, Blaze Starr, Ann Corio and Margie Hart, who was celebrated enough to be mentioned in song lyrics by Lorenz Hart and Cole Porter.
By the late 1930s, burlesque shows would have up to six strippers supported by one or two comics and a master of ceremonies.
You strip, I’ll tell jokes. Mmmkay?
Prohibition in the 1940s
The uninhibited atmosphere of burlesque establishments owed much to the free flow of alcoholic liquor, and the enforcement of Prohibition was a serious blow.
In New York, Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia clamped down on burlesque, effectively putting it out of business by the early 1940s.
This guy.
Burlesque Films Popularize in the 1950s
Burlesque moves from the stage to the screen, with popular films including Lady of Burlesque, Striporama, and French Follies.
1955 Showgirls Take the Stage in Vegas
Harold Minsky of Minsky’s Burlesque moves to Las Vegas and pioneers the showgirl construct.
1956 Incorporation of the Exotic Dancers League
In 1956 the Exotic Dancers League is incorporated. Their first meeting is in June where they discuss wages for dancers in Los Angeles.
Pictured: Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
The 1970s Sees a Decline in Burlesque
Burlesque sees a sharp decline as nudity becomes more mainstream in the media.
It got weird I guess.
1991 First Miss Exotic World Pageant
Dixie Evans founds the Miss Exotic World Pageant to attract visitors and attention to the Exotic World burlesque museum.
Also, what an OG babe. I mean….
Enter Neo-Burlesque
A new generation, nostalgic for the spectacle and perceived glamour of the classic American burlesque, developed a cult following for the art in the early 1990s at Billie Madley’s “Cinema” and later at the “Dutch Weismann’s Follies” revues in New York City, “The Velvet Hammer” troupe in Los Angeles and The Shim-Shamettes in New Orleans. Later, Ivan Kane’s Royal Jelly Burlesque Nightclub at Revel Atlantic City opened in 2012.
2005 Burlesque Hall of Fame Opens in Vegas
Exotic World moves to Las Vegas where it is renamed the “Burlesque Hall of Fame. in 2005. It’s still there today. You should go check it out!
Meet Famous Performer Dita Von Teese
Dita Von Teese is one of the most famous modern day burlesque performers.
Burlesque Today
Today, “New Burlesque” has taken many forms, but all have the common trait of honoring one or more of burlesque’s previous incarnations, with acts including striptease, expensive costumes, bawdy humor, cabaret, and more. There are modern burlesque performers and shows all over the world, and annual conventions such as the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival and the Miss Exotic World Pageant are held.
We hope you enjoyed learning more about the evolution of burlesque!
And, to learn even more about the history of this tease, head on over to our post: The History Of Burlesque: How It’s Survived The Past 200 Years
Muah!
