Vaudeville

Vaudeville is a genre of entertainment that was especially popular during the 1880's and the early 1900's.  The performances were stage based and usually contained multiple acts. The acts were unrelated. The performers were called Vaudevillians and included singers, dancers, jugglers, and magicians. The shows were very light hearted. The happiness of the show is what attracted so many viewers. By attending a Vaudeville the average citizen could release themselves from the plight of everyday life just like we go to view a movie to escape reality. There eventually became a chain of theaters around the country offering these variety shows. Their popularity reached its peak around the early 1900's. At this point the introduction of cinema spelled the decline of Vaudeville shows. Cinemas were much more affordable. The Vaudeville shows could also be filmed and have their acts replayed over and over. This exhausted an act that would usually go on tour for several years in a regular Vaudeville stage act. We still see the remnants of Vaudeville shows in the circus circuits that now travel across the U.S. Circuses offer much of the same feel as a Vaudeville show including the format of having multiple unrelated acts in one showing.