The following timeline highlights key moments in the history of American burlesque. Kaitlyn Regehr is a writer, documentarian and scholar of cultural studies. Her work has been published internationally across academic and popular print media.
Regehr's work has explored intersections between gender, performance and politics in female driven communities. Two major events preceded the ultimate institutionalization of sexualized burlesque. The show was wildly popular, in part because it featured chorus girls in daringly revealing costumes, setting a precedent for shows that followed McNamara , 5. The second was the arrival of the British burlesque performer Lydia Thompson and her troupe of British Blondes in Rodger , The troupe performed a literary burlesque, Ixion , a comedic re-telling of Greek history and mythology Rodger , The performance was immensely popular in New York, where it was performed before the troupe went on tour, and initially received positive reviews Allen , Many burlesque troupes formed throughout the Northeast and Midwest, inspired by the British Blondes, and Thompsonian burlesque established itself as a new theatrical institution Allen , , Burlesque was accused of being obscene and was blamed for a variety of social ills, including the perceived misbehavior of women Allen , 16; Rodger , Nevertheless, burlesque was all the rage, not just in New York, but across the country, thanks to touring burlesque troupes Allen , 18, Similar to variety and vaudeville, two burlesque circuits, or wheels, of burlesque theaters expanded throughout the s and s.
The creation of these wheels represented the institutionalization of burlesque Allen , With the help of the railroad, touring burlesque groups were able to travel across the country, filling their performance schedules for the full forty weeks of the theater season Allen , , Although burlesque had quickly become a stand-alone theatrical genre, its sexual content continued to prompt scorn from the middle- and upper-classes Allen , Burlesque became a form of popular entertainment geared towards male, working-class audiences Allen , While the hot shows drew in more business, they also attracted police attention, making this strategy risky, but profitable Allen , Thanks to the popularity of burlesque and consequent competition among burlesque troupes, the majority of burlesque producers and theater managers presented hot burlesque shows, contributing to the further sexualization of the genre Allen , , This progression eventually culminated in the ultimate performance of sexual exhibition - the striptease of the s and s Allen , Rintz's Female Minstrels" from the s onwards in a stylish burlesque of all-male troupes.
Burlesque left little to the imagination. Any stage hit could become a target for humor. The popular melodrama Trilby was spoofed in 'Twill Be. Americans began creating their own burlesques, and some proved extremely popular. Composer Edward E. Rice teamed with actor Henry Dixey to create Adonis , the story of a statue that comes to life and is so disgusted by human folly that he finally chooses to turn back into stone.
The show ran over performances in New York and toured for years, making the handsome Dixey the top matinee idol of his time. As male managers took over the form in the s, transgressive feminine wit was gradually replaced by a masculine determination to reveal as much of the feminine form as local laws allowed.
By , burlesque theatre owners formed vaudeville-style circuits of small, medium and big time theatres. Because big time burlesque companies played these theatres in regular rotations, the circuits came to be known as wheels -- the largest being the Columbia Eastern U.
Unlike vaudeville performers who sought weekly bookings as individual acts, burlesquers spent an entire forty week season touring as part of one complete troupe. For three decades, this system made burlesque a dependable source of steady work. The biggest burlesque star of the early 20th Century was dancer Millie DeLeon , an attractive brunette who tossed her garters into the audience and occasionally neglected to wear tights.
Such shenanigans got her arrested on occasion, and helped to give burlesque a raunchy reputation. Long before his "Cowardly Lion" days, Bert Lahr polished his comic skills in burlesque. Victorian burlesque was popular in London theatres from the s to the s. It took well-known culture like opera or Shakespeare and parodied it.
They would often use the original music or popular music of the time and re-write the lyrics for comic effect. Venues became known for showing burlesque during this era. Image from We Are Colours. The Victorian burlesque style was taken to New York in the s. Their burlesque shows were focused on parody elements performed by a female cast. Their first success in New York was with Ixion No wonder the show was a hit! There was soon prudish outrage which, of course, fuelled the demand for such shows.
Quickly, imitators were popping up and were also often female-run. New York burlesque shows were adding elements of the minstrel shows. The performances began with song, sketches and low comedians before male acts acrobats, magicians, solo singers.
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