Theatre History Overview - Part 85 - Burlesque

Burlesque is a form of literature and theatre that focuses on parodying other art forms. The literary use of the term was used in the 16th and 17th centuries. However, theatrical use started in in the early 1840s. This was a time of cultural clashes between the upper classes and the working classes. Early burlesque often lampooned the upper classes with comedic sketches. Dance routines were often inserted between these comedic acts.

The word burlesque derives from the Italian or Spanish word burla, meaning to mock, trick, or joke. Common subjects for burlesque shows were Shakespeare plays, other popular plays, operas and ballets. At this point, risque subjects in burlesque were extremely rare. Burlesque shows were akin to vaudeville. However, vaudeville required experienced performers. Burlesque did not have such strict requirements and allowed for people to perfect their performance techniques so they could be involved with vaudeville.

During the 1860s, the idea of sexually suggestive acts entered into burlesque when Lydia Thompson and her troupe, the British Blondes, appeared in the United States. By the 1880s, burlesque had established some informal rules for defining itself.

1. The staging, dialog, and plot was sexually suggestive.
2. The humor was quick-witted and involved puns, but lacked complexity.
3. The sketches and routines had minimal plot cohesion.
4. Females wore minimal costuming

While sexually suggestive performances and costumes had become part of burlesque, it wasn't until the 1920s that strip shows became part of the acts. This was because movies became popular and theatre owners were looking for ways to make money. The strippers were popular with men who were looking for that type of entertainment. The ones that ran burlesques with strippers avoided getting in trouble with the law through loopholes such as women wearing pasties and covering their privates with thin strips of material or hiding them behind leaves or other items held in the hands. The Night They Raided Minsky's is a film that dramatizes the end of burlesque and the beginning of striptease.

By 1954, burlesque was considered by a bygone form of entertainment. However, it never truly went away. Then the 1990s saw the "neo-burlesque" or the "new-burlesque" movement. This art form usually contains strippers or other erotic content. However, some of it went back to the idea of comedic sketches and parodies of popular entertainment. Today, all forms of burlesque still exist.

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