The History of Burlesque: Its Journey to the Present Stage

Burlesque is an art that can be traced back hundreds of years, and it has continued to evolve with each era. It has seen numerous costumes through the years, from satire and theatrical parodies to stage productions and performances.

The term originates from the Italian burlesco, meaning a mockery or a joke, and it is good to remember that this art was created to make fun of the serious and to enjoy the fun of not taking everything too seriously. Today, we have the chance to take a closer look at the moments and influences that made burlesque into the captivating art form it has become.

The Roots of Burlesque

The essence of burlesque can be traced back to the comedies of both ancient Greece and Rome long before the first official performance. Playwrights do parody myths, politics, and people in the spotlight, pushing characters to the extreme in order to make people laugh and at the same time poke fun at authority.

Similar ideas occurred in literature, in the works of Chaucer (The Canterbury Tales) and Cervantes (Don Quixote). The European theatres in the 17th and 18th centuries were transforming operas and Shakespearean plays into witty and comic productions.

Victorian England’s Burlesque Boom

In the mid-1800s, burlesque was popular in Victorian England as travesties or extravaganzas. These energetic shows were a mixture of humour, songs, costumes and acting. The use of cross-dressers, topical puns and jokes, and the lightening of the theatre made it more accessible and less stuffy; mixing the idea of music, comedy and spectacle that we have come to expect of burlesque.

The Rise of American Burlesque

Burlesque quickly gained its own style after it landed in the US in the 1800s. Lydia Thompson and her British Blondes amazed New York audiences with a mixture of parody, music, dance and costuming.

By the 1880s, the burlesque American style had fused with vaudeville, including comedy acts, musical acts and chorus girls. Its bold new identity was formed partially by pioneers like Millie DeLeon, Rose Sydell, and the Creole Show of Sam T. Jack.

The Golden Age of Girls, Gags, and Glamour

By the early 1900s, Burlesque had refined its formula of winning: witty comedy, vibrant music, breathtaking lines of choruses, usually leading to some variation of striptease which was meant to be light-hearted.

With the help of such legendary personalities as Sally Rand and Gypsy Rose Lee, the art of teasing thus turned out to be a performance in itself. The emphasis was on charm, humour, and drama as these works were intended to entertain and not shock.

Censorship and the Fall of Burlesque

By the late 1930s, Burlesque had become highly censored particularly in New York, where the mayor, Fiorello LaGuardia, initiated a campaign of morality in order to clean up entertainment in the state. The old burlesque style started to die as television and movies became popular. By the 1950s, a lot of the comedy and theatrics on which burlesque had been special had been dropped as the majority of the venues had been reduced to mere strip clubs.

The Modern Revival of Burlesque

Burlesque came back to the limelight in the 1990s in a new twist. The new wave is also known as Neo-Burlesque and brought another modern concept, including a variety of diversity, body positivity and empowerment. Those dancers then started including drag, cabaret and even experimental performance art in the traditional striptease.

Modern stars such as Dita Von Teese helped to rekindle the old glamour on the stage proving that burlesque was not outdated and still had a future even in the modern era.

Wrap Up

Burlesque is a story of transformation and creativity. It started as playful comedy in the 1800s, became a glitzy blend of dance, music and theater, struggled with censorship, and then got a new life in the modern era.

Nowadays, it is not only entertainment, but also self-expression, confidence and the ability to enjoy all kinds of beauty. Burlesque can surprise the viewers and prove that a little sparkle never goes out of style, whether it is done traditionally or with a modern twist.

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