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60-555: John Brougham (9 May 1814 – 7 June 1880) was an Irish and American actor, dramatist, poet, theatre manager, and author. As an actor and dramatist he had most of his career in the United States, where he was celebrated for his portrayals of comic Irish characters. The author of more than seventy-five dramatic works, with some sources stating more than 150, he was particularly successful in the genres of burlesque and satire . His numerous subversive, satirical stage works earned him

120-400: A classical education and became involved in student theatrical productions. There he formed interesting and useful associations and acquaintances that assisted him in his later career as an actor and dramatist. He became acquainted with the actress Lucia Elizabeth Vestris , and became involved with a social set of friends who produced their own plays. They cast parts by drawing names out of

180-486: A "drame burlesque" ( Matroco , 1777). Stravinsky called his 1916 one-act chamber opera-ballet Renard ( The Fox ) a "Histoire burlesque chantée et jouée" ( burlesque tale sung and played ) and his 1911 ballet Petrushka a "burlesque in four scenes". A later example is the 1927 burlesque operetta by Ernst Krenek entitled Schwergewicht ( Heavyweight ) (1927). Some orchestral and chamber works have also been designated as burlesques, of which two early examples are

240-437: A Clod (adaptation), Better Late than Never , The Emerald Ring , Irish Stew , Much Ado About a Merchant of Venice , The Red Light , Minnie's Luck , John Garth , and The Lily of France . Other works included The Lottery of Life (1867), and Home Rule , his final work. Burlesque Burlesque overlaps with caricature , parody and travesty , and, in its theatrical form, with extravaganza , as presented during

300-621: A brief experience of living in poverty in London, Brougham had a chance meeting with Lucia Elizabeth Vestri; whom he had befriended earlier at Trinity College. Vestri used her influence as an actress at the Queen's Theatre, Tottenham Court Road to secure Bougham work in that theatre's production of William Thomas Moncrieff 's Tom and Jerry . He made his professional London stage debut in July 1930 portraying six characters in that work. In 1831 Brougham

360-528: A catastrophic fire. From 1865 to 1882, the theatre was known as the Prince of Wales's Theatre (not to be confused with Prince of Wales Theatre ). The theatre began on this site as The New Rooms where concerts were performed, in Charlotte Street, in 1772, under the management of Francis Pasquali. Popularity, and royal patronage led to the building's enlargement by James Wyatt , and its renaming as

420-757: A decade in the theatre troupe of actress Lucia Elizabeth Vestris and her husband Charles James Mathews , first at the Olympic Theatre and then the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden (now the Royal Opera House ). In 1840 Brougham became manager of the Lyceum Theatre, London . Two years later in 1842 he emigrated to the United States. There he made his stage debut at the Park Theatre, New York City in 1842. Brougham rapidly became

480-532: A favorite actor among the American public in a wide range of contemporary plays. He toured the United States in theatre troupes led by the impresarios William Evans Burton and James William Wallack , in addition to appearing on Broadway with some frequency. During this period he also worked as a theatre manager in New York City, managing such theaters as Niblo's Garden , Brougham's Lyceum Theatre, and

540-630: A hat. Though Brougham usually traded off larger roles in order to focus on his studies, he was deeply interested in acting. Additionally, he frequently attended performances at the Theatre Royal, Dublin . Brougham's uncle encouraged his education with the goal of becoming a surgeon. He briefly was a surgical student at Peter Street Hospital. Having fallen into difficult economic conditions, his uncle had to end his financial support and Brougham had to stop his education. In order to support himself financially, he relocated to London in 1830. While having

600-419: A master of ceremonies. Comics who appeared in burlesque early in their careers included Fanny Brice , Mae West , Eddie Cantor , Abbott and Costello , W. C. Fields , Jackie Gleason , Danny Thomas , Al Jolson , Bert Lahr , Phil Silvers , Sid Caesar , Danny Kaye , Red Skelton and Sophie Tucker . The uninhibited atmosphere of burlesque establishments owed much to the free flow of alcoholic liquor, and

660-587: A parody of John A. Stone and Edwin Forrest's Metamora; or The Last of the Wamponoags , and Irish Yankee; or, The Birthday of Freedom . Later he was the manager of Niblo's Garden , and in 1850 opened Brougham's Lyceum , which, like his next speculation, the lease of the Bowery Theatre , was not a financial success, despite the popularity of such works as Po-ca-hon-tas; or, The Gentle Savage . He

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720-480: A public theatre, with a portico entrance on Tottenham Street. It opened on 23 April 1810 with Love in a Village . It continued under a succession of managers as the unsuccessful Regency Theatre (1815–1820), falling into decline. The theatre then reopened as the West London Theatre (1820–1831), Queen's Theatre (1831–1833, 1835–1837, and 1839–1865), and Fitzroy Theatre (1833–1835). The lessee of

780-924: A revival of burlesque, sometimes called Neo-Burlesque , on both sides of the Atlantic. A new generation, nostalgic for the spectacle and perceived glamour of the classic American burlesque, developed a cult following for the art in the early 1990s at Billie Madley's "Cinema" and later at the "Dutch Weismann's Follies" revues in New York City, "The Velvet Hammer" troupe in Los Angeles and The Shim-Shamettes in New Orleans. Ivan Kane's Royal Jelly Burlesque Nightclub at Revel Atlantic City opened in 2012. Notable Neo-burlesque performers include Dita Von Teese , and Julie Atlas Muz and Agitprop groups like Cabaret Red Light incorporated political satire and performance art into their burlesque shows. Annual conventions such as

840-523: A time, burlesque verses were known as poesie bernesca in his honour. "Burlesque" as a literary term became widespread in 17th century Italy and France, and subsequently England, where it referred to a grotesque imitation of the dignified or pathetic. Shakespeare 's Pyramus and Thisbe scene in Midsummer Night's Dream and the general mocking of romance in Beaumont and Fletcher's The Knight of

900-547: A while the theatre became home to the Gang Show . During World War II , it again housed professional theatre, reverting to the Scala Theatre . After the war, under the management of Prince Littler , amateur productions returned, with Peter Pan being the annual pantomime. This continued until 1969 when, after a fire, it was demolished for the building of offices, known as Scala House (25 Tottenham Street). In 1964,

960-650: Is Richard Strauss 's 1890 Burleske for piano and orchestra . Examples of theatrical burlesques include W. S. Gilbert 's Robert the Devil and the A. C. Torr – Meyer Lutz shows, including Ruy Blas and the Blasé Roué . A later use of the term, particularly in the United States , refers to performances in a variety show format. These were popular from the 1860s to the 1940s, often in cabarets and clubs, as well as theatres, and featured bawdy comedy and female striptease . Some Hollywood films attempted to recreate

1020-421: Is still performed in revues and sketches . Tom Stoppard 's 1974 play Travesties is an example of a full-length play drawing on the burlesque tradition. Beginning in the early 18th century, the term burlesque was used throughout Europe to describe musical works in which serious and comic elements were juxtaposed or combined to achieve a grotesque effect. As derived from literature and theatre, "burlesque"

1080-580: The Bowery Theatre . He became a naturalized American citizen in 1844 upon his second marriage, to American actress Annette Hawley. He left the United States at the height of his popularity just prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War . He returned to England in September 1860 to work once again on the London stage. After further performances in England and Ireland in the first half of

1140-649: The King's Concert Rooms (1780–1786). It then became Rooms for Concerts of Ancient Music and Hyde's Rooms (1786–1802), managed by The Directors of Concerts and Ancient Music . In 1802, a private theatre club managed by Captain Caulfield, the "Pic-Nics" , occupied the building and named it the Cognoscenti Theatre (1802–1808). It became the New Theatre (1808–1815) and was extended and fitted out as

1200-405: The Royal Opera House ). With Dion Boucicault he co-authored the 1841 play London Assurance (1841), the role of Dazzle being one of those with which he became associated. However, the relationship between Boucicault and Brougham soured, and after the work premiered Brougham relinquished his authorship rights in a lawsuit settlement and left the production at the Theatre Royal. In 1840 Brougham

1260-404: The Theatre Royal in his native Dublin in the first performance of Dion Boucicault 's Arrah-na-Pogue with Boucicault, Samuel Johnson and Samuel Anderson Emery in the cast. After the American Civil War he returned to New York City. Brougham's Theatre was opened in 1869 with his comedies Better Late than Never and Much Ado About a Merchant of Venice , but this managerial experience

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1320-661: The Vancouver International Burlesque Festival and the Miss Exotic World Pageant are held. Scala Theatre 51°31′12.2″N 0°8′10.0″W  /  51.520056°N 0.136111°W  / 51.520056; -0.136111 The Scala Theatre was a theatre in Charlotte Street , London, off Tottenham Court Road . The first theatre on the site opened in 1772; the last was demolished in 1969, after

1380-627: The Victorian era . The word "burlesque" has been used in English in this literary and theatrical sense since the late 17th century. It has been applied retrospectively to works of Chaucer and Shakespeare and to the Graeco-Roman classics. Contrasting examples of literary burlesque are Alexander Pope 's The Rape of the Lock and Samuel Butler 's Hudibras . An example of musical burlesque

1440-411: The sextet , 'Chi mi frena in tal momento?', from Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti . Victorian burlesque, sometimes known as "travesty" or " extravaganza ", was popular in London theatres between the 1830s and the 1890s. It took the form of musical theatre parody in which a well-known opera, play or ballet was adapted into a broad comic play, usually a musical play, often risqué in style, mocking

1500-517: The "Rondo-Burleske" third movement of Symphony No. 9 by Mahler , and the "Burlesque" fourth movement of Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1 . The use of burlesque has not been confined to classical music. Well-known ragtime travesties include Russian Rag , by George L. Cobb , which is based on Rachmaninoff 's Prelude in C-sharp minor , and Harry Alford 's Lucy's Sextette based on

1560-804: The 1860s, Brougham returned to New York City in October 1865, after the end of the war, to join the company of players at the Winter Garden Theatre . By this time his popularity had declined, but he remained active as a performer at the Winter Garden and in the theatre troupe of Augustin Daly until October 1879. He died eight months later in New York City in June 1880. John Brougham was born in Dublin on 9 May 1814. The eldest of three children, he

1620-565: The Burning Pestle were early examples of such imitation. In 17th century Spain, playwright and poet Miguel de Cervantes ridiculed medieval romance in his many satirical works. Among Cervantes' works are Exemplary Novels and the Eight Comedies and Eight New Interludes published in 1615. The term burlesque has been applied retrospectively to works of Chaucer and Shakespeare and to the Graeco-Roman classics. Burlesque

1680-530: The Knife (a success in 1865) and A Hundred Thousand Pounds (1866). By 1867, Byron left the partnership. The house soon became noted for the successful domestic drama-comedies by Thomas William Robertson , including his series of groundbreaking realist plays, Society (1865), Ours (1866), Caste (1867), Play (1868), School (1869), and M.P. (1870). In 1867, Wilton married Squire Bancroft and took his surname as Mrs. Effie Bancroft and regularly took

1740-405: The Lock . Low burlesque applied an irreverent, mocking style to a serious subject; an example is Samuel Butler 's poem Hudibras , which described the misadventures of a Puritan knight in satiric doggerel verse, using a colloquial idiom. Butler's addition to his comic poem of an ethical subtext made his caricatures into satire . In more recent times, burlesque true to its literary origins

1800-858: The Lyceum , David Copperfield (dramatization), The Actress of Padua (new version), The Pirates of the Mississippi , The Red Mask , Orion, the Gold-Beater , Tom and Jerry in America , The Miller of New Jersey , The Game of Love , Bleak House (adaptation), My Cousin German , A Decided Case , The Game of Life , Pocahantas , Neptune's Defeat , Love and Murder , Romance and Reality , The Ruling Passion , Playing With Fire , Columbus (burlesque), This House to Be Sold , The Duke's Motto , Bel Demonio , Lady Audley's Secret (adaptation), Only

1860-720: The Ouverture-Suite Burlesque de Quixotte , TWV 55, by Telemann and the Sinfonia Burlesca by Leopold Mozart (1760). Another often-performed piece is Richard Strauss 's 1890 Burleske for piano and orchestra . Other examples include the following: Burlesque can be used to describe particular movements of instrumental musical compositions, often involving dance rhythms. Examples are the Burlesca, in Partita No. 3 for keyboard (BWV 827) by Bach ,

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1920-411: The addition of gags and 'turns'." In the early burlesques, following the example of ballad opera , the words of the songs were written to popular music; later burlesques mixed the music of opera , operetta , music hall and revue , and some of the more ambitious shows had original music composed for them. This English style of burlesque was successfully introduced to New York in the 1840s. Some of

1980-466: The audience would readily recognize. The house stars included Nellie Farren , John D'Auban , Edward Terry and Fred Leslie . From about 1880, Victorian burlesques grew longer, until they were a whole evening's entertainment rather than part of a double- or triple-bill. In the early 1890s, these burlesques went out of fashion in London, and the focus of the Gaiety and other burlesque theatres changed to

2040-522: The early 20th century, there were two national circuits of burlesque shows competing with the vaudeville circuit, as well as resident companies in New York, such as Minsky's at the Winter Garden. The transition from burlesque on the old lines to striptease was gradual. At first, soubrettes showed off their figures while singing and dancing; some were less active but compensated by appearing in elaborate stage costumes. The strippers gradually supplanted

2100-644: The enforcement of Prohibition was a serious blow. In New York, Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia clamped down on burlesque, effectively putting it out of business by the early 1940s. It lingered on elsewhere in the US, increasingly neglected, and by the 1970s, with nudity commonplace in theatres, reached "its final shabby demise." Both during its declining years and afterwards there have been films that sought to capture American burlesque, including Lady of Burlesque (1943), Striporama (1953), and The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968). In recent decades, there has been

2160-483: The most frequent subjects for burlesque were the plays of Shakespeare and grand opera. The dialogue was generally written in rhyming couplets, liberally peppered with bad puns . A typical example from a burlesque of Macbeth : Macbeth and Banquo enter under an umbrella, and the witches greet them with "Hail! hail! hail!" Macbeth asks Banquo, "What mean these salutations, noble thane?" and is told, "These showers of 'Hail' anticipate your 'reign ' ". A staple of burlesque

2220-528: The name Prince of Wales Theatre in 1886. In 1903, Dr. Edmund Distin Maddick bought the property, and adjoining properties, and enlarged the site. The main entrance was now in Charlotte Street, and the old portico in Tottenham Street became the stage door. The new theatre, designed by Frank Verity , opened in 1905, as The Scala Theatre , seating 1,139 and boasting a large stage. The new venture

2280-415: The new more wholesome but less literary genre of Edwardian musical comedy . American burlesque shows were originally an offshoot of Victorian burlesque. The English genre had been successfully staged in New York from the 1840s, and it was popularised by a visiting British burlesque troupe, Lydia Thompson and the "British Blondes", beginning in 1868. New York burlesque shows soon incorporated elements and

2340-480: The nickname as "The American Aristophanes " among critics. In addition to his work as a playwright, Brougham published two volumes of his miscellaneous writings. These included essays, poems, and other works. Born and raised primarily in Dublin , Brougham began higher education aiming to become a surgeon. Forced to end his studies, he moved to London in 1830 where he began his career as a professional actor. He staged his first play in that city in 1831. He performed for

2400-550: The number of plays Broughman authored with the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography stating he wrote more the 75 dramatic works, and the Historical Dictionary of American Theater stating he authored more than 150 plays. Broughman was particularly adept at writing satirical comedies, and his significant output of subversive satires earned him the nickname "The American Aristophanes " from critics of

2460-478: The principal female parts in these pieces opposite her husband. Other plays were W. S. Gilbert 's Allow Me To Explain (1867; this ran as a companion piece to Robertson's Caste ) and Sweethearts (1874), as well as Tame Cats (1868), Lytton's Money (1872), The School for Scandal (1874), a revival of Boucicault's London Assurance (1877), and Diplomacy ( Clement Scott 's 1878 adaptation of Sardou 's Dora ). A number of prominent actors played at

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2520-426: The singing and dancing soubrettes; by 1932 there were at least 150 strip principals in the US. Star strippers included Sally Rand , Gypsy Rose Lee , Tempest Storm , Lili St. Cyr , Blaze Starr , Ann Corio and Margie Hart , who was celebrated enough to be mentioned in song lyrics by Lorenz Hart and Cole Porter . By the late 1930s, burlesque shows would have up to six strippers supported by one or two comics and

2580-511: The spirit of these performances from the 1930s to the 1960s, or included burlesque-style scenes within dramatic films, such as 1972's Cabaret and 1979's All That Jazz , among others. There has been a resurgence of interest in this format since the 1990s. The word first appears in a title in Francesco Berni 's Opere burlesche of the early 16th century, works that had circulated widely in manuscript before they were printed. For

2640-512: The structure of the popular minstrel shows . They consisted of three parts: first, songs and ribald comic sketches by low comedians; second, assorted olios and male acts, such as acrobats, magicians and solo singers; and third, chorus numbers and sometimes a burlesque in the English style on politics or a current play. The entertainment was usually concluded by an exotic dancer or a wrestling or boxing match. The entertainments were given in clubs and cabarets, as well as music halls and theatres. By

2700-576: The theatre during this period, among them John Hare , Charles Coghlan , the Kendals , and Ellen Terry . A big success in 1881 was F. C. Burnand 's The Colonel , which went on to run for 550 performances, transferring to the Imperial Theatre. In 1882, the theatre went dark, and from 1886 the theatre buildings were used as a Salvation Army Hostel, until it was demolished in 1903. Another theatre near Leicester Square, London, began to use

2760-407: The theatre from 1839 to 1865 was a scenic artist, Charles James James, and the theatre became the home of lurid melodrama , being nicknamed The Dusthole . In 1865, the theatre was renovated and named the Prince of Wales's Royal Theatre and this continued until it went dark in 1882. It was demolished in 1903. In 1865, in partnership with Henry Byron , Marie Wilton assumed the management of

2820-520: The theatre was used by The Beatles for the concert sequences in the film A Hard Day's Night . The Other Cinema opened in October 1976 in the basement of Scala House; it showed avant-garde films and closed in February 1977. The premises reopened as Scala Cinema in June 1978. It showed a daily programme of films. In 1980, the Scala House was taken over by Channel 4 television, and in 1981

2880-423: The theatre, having secured as a leading actor Squire Bancroft . He starred in J. P. Wooler's A Winning Hazard , among other works. Wilton provided the capital, and Byron wrote a number of plays. His first was a burlesque of La sonnambula . However, Wilton wanted to present more sophisticated pieces. She agreed to produce three more burlesques by Byron, while he agreed to write his first prose comedies, War to

2940-677: The theatrical and musical conventions and styles of the original work, and quoting or pastiching text or music from the original work. The comedy often stemmed from the incongruity and absurdity of the classical subjects, with realistic historical dress and settings, being juxtaposed with the modern activities portrayed by the actors. Madame Vestris produced burlesques at the Olympic Theatre beginning in 1831 with Olympic Revels by J. R. Planché . Other authors of burlesques included H. J. Byron , G. R. Sims , F. C. Burnand , W. S. Gilbert and Fred Leslie . Victorian burlesque related to and in part derived from traditional English pantomime "with

3000-812: The time. Brougham's 1880 obituary in The New York Tribune listed the following works as his "most conspicuous plays": Life in the Clouds , Love's Livery , Enthusiasm , Thom Thumb the Second , The Demon Gift (with Mark Lemon ), Bunsby's Wedding , The Confidence Man , Don Caeser de Bassoon , Vanity Fair , The Irish Yankee , Benjamin Franklin , All's Fair in Love , The Irish Emigrant , Dombey and Son (dramatization), Home , Ambrose Germain , The World's Fair , Faustus , The Spirit of Air , Row at

3060-486: Was a member of Vestris's company which was the resident troupe at London's Olympic Theatre , and was managed by Vestris's husband Charles Mathews . He wrote his first play, a burlesque as a starring vehicle for her in 1832. He remained with Madame Vestris's company for a decade; continuing with the organization after it left the Olympic Theatre in 1839 to take up residency at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden (now

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3120-819: Was also a failure, due to disagreements with his business partner, Jim Fisk , and he took to playing the stock market. His last appearance onstage was in 1879 as "O'Reilly, the detective" in Boucicault's Rescued . He died in Manhattan in 1880. Brougham was a founding member and first vice president of the Lotos Club in New York (established 1870), and for a time its president. He was twice married, in 1838 to Emma Williams (d. 1865), and, in 1844, to Annette Hawley, daughter of Captain Nelson, R.N., and widow of Mr. Hodges (d. 1870), both actresses. Sources vary in stating

3180-513: Was appointed manager of the Lyceum Theatre, London , for which he wrote several light burlesques. In 1842 he moved to the United States, where he made his debut starring in a production of William Bayle Bernard 's His Last Legs at the Park Theatre in Manhattan. He became a member of WE Burton 's company, for which he wrote several comedies, including Met-a-mora; or, the Last of the Pollywogs ,

3240-420: Was intentionally ridiculous in that it imitated several styles and combined imitations of certain authors and artists with absurd descriptions. In this, the term was often used interchangeably with " pastiche ", " parody ", and the 17th and 18th century genre of the " mock-heroic ". Burlesque depended on the reader's (or listener's) knowledge of the subject to make its intended effect, and a high degree of literacy

3300-437: Was later connected with Wallack 's and Daly 's theatres, and wrote plays for both. In 1852, he edited a comedic paper, The Lantern , and published two collections of miscellaneous writings, A Basket of Chips and The Bunsby Papers . In 1857, he published A Day in New York . In 1860 he returned to London, where he adapted or wrote several plays, including The Duke's Motto for Fechter . In November 1864 he appeared at

3360-479: Was not particularly successful and became a cinema, from 1911 to 1918, run by Charles Urban , who regularly showed Kinemacolor films there. In 1918, F. J. Nettlefold took over and ran the premises as a theatre again. It became known as the New Scala in 1923, with D. A. Abrahams as licensee for staging plays and showing films; he became owner in 1925. Amateur productions and pantomimes were performed, and for

3420-425: Was taken for granted. 17th and 18th century burlesque was divided into two types: High burlesque refers to a burlesque imitation where a literary, elevated manner was applied to a commonplace or comically inappropriate subject matter as, for example, in the literary parody and the mock-heroic . One of the most commonly cited examples of high burlesque is Alexander Pope 's "sly, knowing and courtly" The Rape of

3480-530: Was the display of attractive women in travesty roles , dressed in tights to show off their legs, but the plays themselves were seldom more than modestly risqué. Burlesque became the speciality of certain London theatres, including the Gaiety and Royal Strand Theatre from the 1860s to the early 1890s. Until the 1870s, burlesques were often one-act pieces running less than an hour and using pastiches and parodies of popular songs, opera arias and other music that

3540-519: Was the only child in the family to survive to adulthood. His father, an amateur painter, died young. His mother, the daughter of a Protestant French Huguenot , was forced to live in exile due to the politics and religious persecution of her time. She was mired in poverty and arranged for John Brougham to be raised in the home of his uncle. Brougham was prepared for college at an academy at Trim, County Meath , twenty miles from Dublin. After this he matriculated to Trinity College Dublin ; where he acquired

3600-743: Was used, and is still used, in music to indicate a bright or high-spirited mood, sometimes in contrast to seriousness. In this sense of farce and exaggeration rather than parody, it appears frequently on the German-language stage between the middle of the 19th century and the 1920s. Burlesque operettas were written by Johann Strauss II ( Die lustigen Weiber von Wien , 1868), Ziehrer ( Mahomed's Paradies , 1866; Das Orakel zu Delfi , 1872; Cleopatra, oder Durch drei Jahrtausende , 1875; In fünfzig Jahren , 1911) and Bruno Granichstaedten ( Casimirs Himmelfahrt , 1911). French references to burlesque are less common than German, though Grétry composed for

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