Product Description
Product Description
For a relatively short period of time, from the mid- to late-1800s, through the early 1930s, vaudeville was an American institution, as important in its day as radio, the motion picture and television. This book provides an encyclopedic guide to vaudeville. Included are entries not only on the performers, but also on individuals active behind the scenes in various administrative capacities, major theatres, genres, historical terms, vaudeville houses in individual cities, and much more. In addition to biographical data, entries on vaudevillians may include contemporary criticism, a sampling of an act's various routines, commentary by the performers, and an appraisal of the performer's place in vaudeville history. Bibliographies for entries are included where appropriate, and the volume concludes with a guide to vaudeville resources and a general bibliography.
Synopsis
For a relatively short period of time, from the mid- to late-1800s, through the early 1930s, vaudeville was an American institution, as important in its day as radio, the motion picture and television. This book provides an encyclopedic guide to vaudeville. Included are entries not only on the performers, but also on individuals active behind the scenes in various administrative capacities, major theatres, genres, historical terms, vaudeville houses in individual cities, and much more. In addition to biographical data, entries on vaudevillians may include contemporary criticism, a sampling of an act's various routines, commentary by the performers, and an appraisal of the performer's place in vaudeville history. Bibliographies for entries are included where appropriate, and the volume concludes with a guide to vaudeville resources and a general bibliography.
