term1 Definition1term2 Definition2term3 Definition3
Please sign in to your Google account to access your documents:
Broadway: The Twentieth-Century
American Musical
A N T E C E D E N T S
Describe what 'Vaudeville' was and when the
entertainment form emerged.
- early 1900s
-The most popular performance form of this era; thousands of theatres across the country hosted 'bills' of 'acts'
-Included comedians, singers, magicians - which changed every week
What did 'Burlesque' shows consist of?
- adult entertainment, a form of musical extravaganza or variety show -glamorous, risqué leg-kicking of the Ziegfeld 'Follies'
Describe what 'Revues' consisted of.
- they were plotless shows that provided first-class performance and design e.g Ziegfeld's 'Follies'-these shows were produced on Broadway
Describe what a variety show consisted of.
-variety stages were local music halls that catered to the ethnic identity of their neighbourhoods
-similar to vaudeville shows in that they contained plotless acts with different art forms that were unrelated or could stand alone
What were 'Minstrel Shows'?
- appeared in the mid 19th century-both white and black performers sang, danced and imitated/joked in 'blackface'
-it was extremely derogatory towards the image of African-Americans
Who was a famous minstrel performer of the
mid-1900s?
- Bert Williams
- he performed in a 'double-act' singing, dancing and clowning with George Walker
- joined the annual Ziegfeld 'Follies' in 1910, became its primary comedian for a decade
Why did black performers take part in the
heavily racist minstrel shows?
Because they felt that 'by being made fun of...they were included in America' - Philip Furia
Who was a famous variety show performer in
the 1900s?
- Fanny Brice; singer on the variety stages of Coney Island and Newark
-made her 'Follies' debut in 1910
- parodied famous people in a fake Yiddish accent, compelling singing making her the greatest comedienne of her generation
What is operetta?
-a light opera with a comic theme and spoken dialogue
-influenced by English operettas of W.S Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's jaunty melodies
-it had dialogue, plot, characterisation and the singing intentionally moved the plot along unlike the other types of shows
Need help typing ? See our FAQ (opens in new window)
Please sign in to create this set. We'll bring you back here when you are done.
Discard Changes Sign in
Please sign in to add to folders.
Sign in
Don't have an account? Sign Up »
You have created 2 folders. Please upgrade to Cram Premium to create hundreds of folders!