A form of entertainment that included elements of drama, song, dance, comedy, magic, animal trainers, acrobats, ventriloquists and more, Vaudeville hit its peak in America during the years between 1880 and 1910 (Wayne). These productions included aspects of both lowbrow and highbrow culture, bringing together communities for performances that truly had something for everyone (Lewis, 315).
The birthfather of Vaudeville, Tony Pastor, rejoined variety shows as “Vaudeville,” bringing together these disperse forms of entertainment to form eclectic, dynamic shows. New York City's Palace Theatre (still operating today as a Broadway theatre) was a hotspot for Vaudeville performances, attracting a city clientele to its many offerings (Lewis, 315). 
Vaudeville prided itself on its appropriateness. It had no tolerance for explicit language, movements, or themes in its performances. There were strict rules regarding what could be put on the Vaudeville Stage. These rules made Vaudeville an idea form of entertainment for families (Lewis, 316). In the popular "Program of Wonderland," the company states that it "has spared no pains in the past and will spare none in the future to establish a Genuine Family Resort-a place of amusement surrounded by every possible safeguard of morality, which ladies, children, and gentlemen can frequent and be entertained by." These shows were "resorts," safe havens where audience members could escape their daily problems and routines through immense entertainment sans the worry of being offended. 

A typical Vaudeville program was composed of various forms of entertainment. The Wonderland set alone offered vocalists, a character sketch, comedians, comedy musicians, and dancers. The physical program utilized impressive and dramatic language, declaring to include "emperors of music and comedy," as well as "the finest baritone player extant." This language lent itself to the exuberant, high-energy attitude of Vaudeville. 

During the height of Vaudeville, newspapers all over the country would review each week’s Vaudeville offerings, even in other states. The January 7th, 1922 edition of Cincinnati’s Billboard Newspaper lists and reviews shows happening in Chicago, New York, St. Louis, and San Francisco. These reviews are typically standard written opinion pieces, describing and commenting on the performances, but one places each act on a “Percentage of Entertainment” table, numerically categorizing the author’s enjoyment of each piece. These reviews clearly value entertainment value, praising “showmanship” and applause levels, noting “big hits” and “favorites” (Billboard). This focus on audience engagement reflects the “resort” goals of Vaudeville, where audiences can relax and enjoy the performances, their reactions almost becoming a part of the show.Vaudeville is also known for housing the origins of Blackface. Performers of all types would paint their faces black, usually in an attempt to be comedic. Blackface was considered to be an immediate depiction of comedy and laugher. This harmful depiction of African Americans carried over into Blackface minstrelsy and the foundations of musical theatre, and are still a source of extreme discussion and controversy today (Sampson, 8). 

Vaudeville served as a financial resource for Denishawn. In order to fund their classes and usual “high art,” the Denishawn company would send out occasional Vaudeville tours, in order to reach more audiences and bring in more money. As the price of a Vaudeville ticket was typically around half the price of a theatre/dance show ticket, this genre was able to thrive, even during economic depression. Giving the people an affordable performance option, Vaudeville was and remained incredibly popular during the period of financial strain in the 1890s. Denishawn was able to capitalize on this success, introducing their company to the Vaudeville circuit in order to create financial gain (Cullen, 307).

Vaudeville during this period had a heavy influence on what would become Broadway musicals, the famous Ziegfeld Follies, and cinematic films (Cullen, 308). 


Works Cited

Bradley, Patricia. Making American Culture: a Social History, 1900 - 1920. Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.

Cullen, Frank, et al. Vaudeville Old & New: an Encyclopedia of Variety Performances in America. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2007.

Lew Dale Vaudeville collection, Ms.2016.017, Brown University Library.

Lewis, Robert M. From Traveling Show to Vaudeville: Theatrical Spectacle in America, 1830-1910. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007.

Sampson, Henry T.. Blacks in Blackface : A Sourcebook on Early Black Musical Shows, Scarecrow Press, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.revproxy.brown.edu/lib/brown/detail.action?docID=1550762.

This week's reviews of vaudeville theaters from coast to coast by special wire: DENISHAWN SCHOOL. (1922, Jan 07). The Billboard (Archive: 1894-1960), 34, 12. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1031674242?accountid=9758