The Story of Burlesque
August 26th, 2010
When one hears the word “Burlesque” the first thought that likely comes to mind is a curvaceous woman losing her clothes to a loud and brassy song. But burlesque has always been much more than that. It is a art form with much variety and a history that reaches back several centuries into Europe and England.
Burlesque is a form of theatrical entertainment with various parts comedy, parody, satire, improvisation, song and dance, variety acts, cross-dressing, extravagant stage effects, risqué jokes and saucy costumes. It began as a satirical literary style in England as far back as the 16th century, but evolved by the early 18th century into a theatrical style in which serious musical and theatrical works were parodied or lampooned. Often, an aspect of grotesque exaggeration was introduced to contribute a sense of surrealism. Stodgy moralists of the time considered it to be scandalous and rude!
Back then, in England, burlesque was a distinctly middle class affair and relied upon audiences’ familiarity with great dramatic and musical works. Class differences and resentments were routinely exploited and exercised as comedic vehicles.
For the sake of clarity, this traditional British burlesque is referred to nowadays as “musical burlesque” or “classical burlesque.” It is important to make a distinction, for as we’ll see, what you and I think of as burlesque today, may have its roots in the Old World, but it is distinctly American. Incidentally, a cabaret is something entirely different than burlesque, as it is more of a music and theatre performance in front of an audience of dinner goers.
American burlesque came to be in 1868 when the famous English burlesque performer Lydia Thompson brought her troupe called the British Blondes to America. She brought all of the classical aspects of the art form with her, but soon adapted the shows to appeal to a distinctly American culture. The classism of Britain was mostly missing from American society, so different themes were explored. In addition, other forms of theatrical and musical shows such as vaudeville and minstrel shows already existed. Lydia Thompson and many other burlesque troupes in America incorporated these other forms of entertainment into the new American burlesque shows.
American burlesque, generally speaking turned away from the literary and focused more on lowbrow humor and the strip tease. Over many decades the striptease became the focus of burlesque shows and became ever more refined and elaborate in terms of both sets and costumes. This was the evolution into what we now think of as “Burlesque!”
American burlesque thrived for a century as many innovative performers such as
Gypsy Rose Lee advanced the art form, perfected their artistry and became legendary. It was only when new forms of mass entertainment came along (first film, then television) that burlesque faded in popularity. The talents and artistry migrated to these new media and the striptease moved to the strip club.
Today, American burlesque is seeing a rebirth of sorts. As with many other folk, craft and cultural revivals that are happening today (thanks in no small part to the internet), burlesque is becoming quite popular again in many cities such as New York, San Francisco, Seattle, New Orleans and Austin. A whole new generation of performers are learning legendary routines and creating new productions as they keep the art alive and kicking. Some call this revival neo-burlesque as a nod to classical American burlesque which focuses on the tease but also often incorporates dance, short dramas and even comedy routines into the performances..
We’re thrilled that this little piece of Americana is still thriving today. If you want to learn much more about burlesque than our little article affords, please check out some of these great resources:
© Kuhmillion 2010