Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

Horrible Prettiness: Burlesque and American Culture by Robert C. Allen (1991).

There was burlesque before striptease! In 1868 Lydia Thompson and her British Blondes brought burlesque to America. Professor Allen examines its effect on theatre and on society. Early burlesque was a form of musical satire. Popular tunes and themes were rewritten to spoof current social norms. Women were the stars and frequently played men, in abbreviated classical costumes, showing off their legs. “Thompsonian” burlesque was considered a threat to the cultural norms, giving women power and sexuality on stage.

By the 1890’s burlesque had changed so much that Lydia Thompson said she did not recognize the art form she had brought to America and it was going to change even further. For one thing, women lost their voices on stage and became merely objects of desire, showing their legs and even more and more. By the 1920’s striptease had become an indelible part of burlesque.

If you are interested in early burlesque, this is the book. It’s an academic work, thoroughly annotated, with a large bibliography.

Dear Constant Reader,

I know Wednesdays are my book review day, but I know you’ll forgive me this lapse. Things have been a little higgledy-piggledy lately, what with the tour and me being sick *again*. I swear I’ve had this rotten cough 4 times this year. It usually knocks me flat for about 2 weeks. But the show must go on… Enough complaining, here’s your review.

The American Burlesque Show by Irving Zeidman (1967).

Mr. Zeidman is a self-proclaimed expert on burlesque. According to his bio he has “read almost everything written on this historically obscure phase of show business” and that “no burlesque theatre has opened on closed in the New York metropolitan area since 1930 without being subject to his personal scrutiny.” The result is a history of burlesque in America, from The Black Crook to the fading out of burlesque in his present day.

Each chapter takes on a single topic, such as the wheels, impressarios (including the Minskys, of course), strippers, comedy, candy butchers, and censorship. They’re roughly in a chronological order, showing the different facets of burlesque, but little linkage between chapters, creating almost individual essays rather than a narrative history. Not surprisingly, a lot of the focus is burlesque in New York. The author assumes his reader is familiar with burlesque already, so this isn’t the best introduction to the topic. He’s frequently snide about his subject, but occasionally affectionate, making the reader wonder where his sympathies lie. His closing remarks about sum it up: “American burlesque has given a livelihood to thousands upon thousand of performer, musicians, stagehands, ushers, producers, candy butchers and censors. It has provided countless hours of unmitigated boredom, and many other hours of genuine pleasure. It has served as a proving ground for talent. It may have given some surcease to the lonely, the derelict, the sexually driven. Beyond that, one cannot and should not hope for more, or expect less.”

There are some photographs throughout and a very limited bibliography.

Dear Constant Reader,

Before we get to the book review, I wanted to remind you that we have a Kickstarter campaign to help fund our tour this summer. There are some really fun gifts! I’m waiting for someone to go for the big one… dinner at Stately Babydoll Manor, prepared by Scratch and served by the Boston Babydolls.

Burlesque and the New Bump-n-Grind by Michelle Baldwin (2004).

I believe this was the first book written about the neo-burlesque movement and is certainly still the one most people reach for when they first discover burlesque. Michelle Baldwin (aka Vivienne VaVoom) looks at the origins of the new burlesque while paying tribute to its roots. She starts with a brief history of burlesque and some of the major historical influence on modern burlesque.

The rest of the book is devoted to neo-burlesque. She looks at its history, evolution, and influences. It’s peppered with profiles of industry leaders. Baldwin also explores costumes, styles, philosophy of performing, the audiences. There are photographs throughout, many taken in performance. The list of on-line resources might seem a little dated, as there is so much more out there now. Please note that this is not a book about performing burlesque, for that you need The Burlesque Handbook.

A lot has happened in burlesque since this book was published, but it remains the top book on the subject.