Vaudeville Definition
Vaudeville was a popular form of theater from the 1890s until the 1930s in America. Vaudeville is generally a family-friendly variety show consisting of several unrelated musical, song and dance acts, as well as sketches and short plays.
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History of the Word Vaudeville
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The etymology of the term is uncertain. Some claim "vaudeville" comes from the French "vaux de ville," meaning worthy of the city, while others claim the word was chosen because it sounded exotic.
Tony Pastor
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In the 1880s, ringmaster and theater manager Tony Pastor reshaped vaudeville by banning liquor from his theaters, and by choosing performances and material that were family friendly.
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Benjamin Keith
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Benjamin Keith, owner of the Bijou Theater in Massachusetts, is considered the father of American vaudeville. Like Pastor, he banned obscene and offensive material from his shows in hopes of attracting women and children. Keith would later build a series of theaters across the country.
The Circuit
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Vaudeville performers would travel from theater to theater across the country to perform their acts, sometimes performing several times a day in hopes of earning headliner status as well as a decent paycheck.
Death of Vaudeville
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The rise in popularity of movie theaters began the slow decline of vaudeville in the 1920s. Film proved to be much cheaper than vaudeville for theater owners and audiences, helping to seal its doom.
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