Nowadays the term "burlesque" evokes an image of an elaborat..
Added 2024-06-13 05:00:20 +0000 UTCNowadays the term "burlesque" evokes an image of an elaborate striptease stage act with any kind of theme or costume, but burlesque was traditionally a group of performers that included comedy and stage performances that were intended to be "intentionally ridiculous...and absurd" and considered theater.
Between the 1830s-1900s, burlesque troupes would travel and perform as musical comedy ultimately ending with a striptease or nudity element to it, generally by an attractive woman in the group and showing off a little leg. They were hugely popular across Europe and spread to the United States. Up until about World War 1, seeing a burlesque show was considered family-friendly.
Leading into the early 1920s, the popularity of a woman performing with a sexual element to it was (unsurprisingly) in high demand (Ziegfeld Follies, with their beautiful chorus girls in intricate costumes, became in high demand).
Shows generally evolved to have low-brow comedy by a male comedian to open the show (Abbott & Costello performed in a burlesque troupe!), followed by several sexually suggestive performances of beautiful women in intricate costumes, dancing to a live band, ending with a striptease.
Of course, they were massively popular with male audiences but, by the 1930s the combination of the Great Depression, impending war, a demand for traditional family values resulted in burlesque falling out of popularity until the rise of huge burlesque stars in the following generations.
