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American burlesque is a genre of variety show. Derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall and minstrel shows, burlesque shows in America became popular in the 1860s and evolved to feature ribald comedy (lewd jokes) and female striptease. By the early 20th century, burlesque in America was presented as a populist blend of satire, performance art, music hall and adult entertainment, featuring striptease and broad comedy acts.〔Humez, Nick. ("Burlesque". ) ''St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture'', ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast, Gale Virtual Reference Library, accessed February 16, 2011 〕 The entertainment was presented often in cabarets and clubs, as well as music halls and theatres. Performers, usually female, often created elaborate tableaux with lush, colorful costumes, mood-appropriate music, and dramatic lighting; novelty acts, such as fire breathing or contortionists, might be added to enhance the impact of their performance.〔Slonimsky, Nicholas, ("Burlesque show", ) ''Baker's Dictionary of Music'', Schirmer Reference, New York, 1997, accessed February 16, 2010 〕 The genre traditionally encompassed a variety of acts: in addition to the striptease artistes, there was some combination of chanson singers, comedians, mime artists, and dancing girls, all delivered in a satiric style with a saucy edge. The striptease element of burlesque became subject to extensive local legislation, leading to a theatrical form that titillated without falling foul of censors.〔 Burlesque gradually lost popularity beginning in the 1940s. A number of producers sought to capitalize on nostalgia for the entertainment by attempting to recreate the spirit of burlesque in Hollywood films from the 1930s to the 1960s. There has been a resurgence of interest in this format since the 1990s, and it inspired a 2010 musical film, ''Burlesque'', starring Christina Aguilera and Cher. ==Literary and theatrical origins== (詳細は"Burlesque", ) ''Oxford English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, accessed February 16, 2011 〕 Burlesque in literature and in theatre through the 19th century was intentionally ridiculous in that it imitated several styles and combined imitations of certain authors and artists with absurd descriptions.〔Sanders, p. 291〕 Burlesque depended on the reader's (or listener's) knowledge of the subject to make its intended effect, and a high degree of literacy was taken for granted.〔Speaight, George. "All froth and bubble", ''The Times Literary Supplement'', October 1, 1976, p. 1233〕 Victorian burlesque, sometimes known as "travesty" or "extravaganza",〔According to the ''Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', "the various genre terms were always applied freely", and by the 1860s their use had become "arbitrary and capricious": see ("Burlesque," ) ''Grove Music Online''. Oxford Music Online, accessed February 3, 2011 . In an 1896 article on Burlesque in ''The Theatre'', the three terms are used interchangeably: see Adams, W. Davenport. "Burlesque: Old ''v.'' New", ''The Theatre'', March 1, 1896, pp. 144–45〕 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 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.〔Adams, W. Davenport. ''A Book of Burlesque'' (London: Henry and Co., 1891), p. 44〕 The dialogue was generally written in rhyming couplets, liberally peppered with bad puns.〔Fredric Woodbridge Wilson: "Burlesque", ''Grove Music Online'' ed. L. Macy, accessed 4 December 4, 2008, ((subscription access) )〕 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'".〔Wells, Stanley. ("Shakespearian Burlesques", ) ''Shakespeare Quarterly'', Vol. 16, No. 1 (Winter, 1965), pp. 49–61, Folger Shakespeare Library in association with George Washington University, accessed February 2, 2011 〕 A staple of theatrical burlesque 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.〔Schwandt, Erich et al. ("Burlesque", ) ''Grove Music Online''. Oxford Music Online, accessed February 3, 2011 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「American burlesque」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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