A burlesque is a type of story, play, or song that uses humor to make fun of serious works by exaggerating their style or treating their subjects in a silly way. The word comes from French and is based on the Italian word "burlesco," which means "joke" or "mockery."
Burlesque is similar to other forms like caricature, parody, and travesty. In theater, it is related to extravagant performances that were popular during the Victorian era. The word "burlesque" has been used in English for over 300 years. It has also been applied to older works, such as those by Chaucer, Shakespeare, and ancient Greek and Roman writers. Examples of literary burlesque include Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock and Samuel Butler’s Hudibras. A musical example is Richard Strauss’s Burleske for piano and orchestra from 1890. Theatrical burlesques include plays like W. S. Gilbert’s Robert the Devil and shows by A. C. Torr and Meyer Lutz, such as Ruy Blas and The Blasé Roué.
Later, the term was used in the United States to describe performances in a variety show style. These shows were popular from the 1860s to the 1940s and often included risqué comedy and female striptease. Some Hollywood movies from the 1930s to the 1960s tried to copy this style or included burlesque scenes in their films, such as Cabaret (1972) and All That Jazz (1979). Interest in this format has grown again since the 1990s.
Literary origins and development
The word "burlesque" first appears in a title in Francesco Berni's Opere burlesche, a collection from the early 16th century. These works were shared in written form before being printed. For a time, humorous poems inspired by Berni were called "poesie bernesca." The term "burlesque" became widely used in 17th-century Italy and France, and later in England, where it described exaggerated or funny imitations of serious or emotional subjects. Shakespeare’s Pyramus and Thisbe scene in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the mocking of romantic themes in Beaumont and Fletcher’s The Knight of the Burning Pestle were early examples of this style.
In 17th-century Spain, writer and poet Miguel de Cervantes made fun of medieval romance in his satirical works. Examples include Exemplary Novels and Eight Comedies and Eight New Interludes, published in 1615. Later, the term "burlesque" was used to describe works by earlier writers like Geoffrey Chaucer and Shakespeare, as well as ancient Greek and Roman texts.
From the start, burlesque aimed to be intentionally silly by copying different styles and mixing humorous descriptions with imitations of famous authors or artists. It was often used interchangeably with terms like "pastiche," "parody," and the 17th- and 18th-century style called "mock-heroic." Burlesque relied on the reader’s (or listener’s) knowledge of the subject to create its effect, and it assumed that people were well-educated.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, burlesque was divided into two types. "High burlesque" used a formal or elevated style to describe simple or comically unsuitable topics, such as in literary parodies or mock-heroic poems. A famous example is Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock, described as "sly, knowing, and courtly." "Low burlesque" used a mocking, irreverent style to address serious subjects. An example is Samuel Butler’s poem Hudibras, which humorously describes the misadventures of a Puritan knight in simple, everyday language. Butler added a moral message to his poem, turning his jokes into satire.
Today, burlesque continues to be performed in revues and sketches, staying true to its literary roots. An example is Tom Stoppard’s 1974 play Travesties, which draws on the burlesque tradition in its storytelling.
In music
Beginning in the early 18th century, the word "burlesque" was used in Europe to describe musical works that combined serious and funny elements to create a strange or exaggerated effect. The term comes from literature and theatre and is used in music to describe a lively or cheerful mood, sometimes opposite to something serious.
During the middle to late 19th century and into the 1920s, burlesque was often used in German-language theatre. 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). In France, burlesque was less common, though Grétry composed a work called Matroco (1777) for a "drame burlesque." Stravinsky called his 1916 opera-ballet Renard (The Fox) a "Histoire burlesque chantée et jouée" and his 1911 ballet Petrushka a "burlesque in four scenes." A later example is the 1927 operetta Schwergewicht (Heavyweight) by Ernst Krenek.
Some orchestral and chamber music pieces are also called burlesques. Early examples include Telemann’s Ouverture-Suite Burlesque de Quixotte (TWV 55) and Leopold Mozart’s Sinfonia Burlesca (1760). Another well-known piece is Richard Strauss’s Burleske for piano and orchestra (1890). Other examples include Johann Sebastian Bach’s Burlesca in Partita No. 3 for keyboard (BWV 827), the "Rondo-Burleske" third movement of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9, and the "Burlesque" fourth movement of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1.
Burlesque is not only found in classical music. It also appears in ragtime, such as Russian Rag by George L. Cobb, which is based on Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C-sharp minor, and Lucy’s Sextette by Harry Alford, which uses a section from Donizetti’s opera Lucia di Lammermoor.
Victorian theatrical burlesque
Victorian burlesque, also called "travesty" or "extravaganza," was a popular form of entertainment in London theaters from the 1830s to the 1890s. It was a type of musical theater that parodied famous operas, plays, or ballets by adapting them into humorous, often risqué plays. These performances mocked the styles and traditions of the original works, using quotes or imitations of their music or dialogue. The humor often came from mixing serious, historical themes with modern, everyday actions. Madame Vestris began producing burlesques at the Olympic Theatre in 1831 with a play called Olympic Revels by J. R. Planché. Other writers of burlesques included H. J. Byron, G. R. Sims, F. C. Burnand, W. S. Gilbert, and Fred Leslie.
Victorian burlesque was influenced by traditional English pantomime, which included jokes and special acts called "turns." Early burlesques used songs based on popular music, similar to ballad opera. Later shows combined music from operas, operettas, music halls, and revues. Some productions even had original music written for them. This style of burlesque was introduced to New York in the 1840s.
Common subjects for burlesques included Shakespeare’s plays and grand operas. Dialogue was often written in rhyming couplets, filled with puns—jokes that use wordplay. For example, in a burlesque of Macbeth, Macbeth and Banquo enter under an umbrella, and witches greet them with "Hail! hail! hail!" When Macbeth asks Banquo about the greetings, Banquo replies, "These showers of 'Hail' anticipate your 'reign.'" A common feature of burlesque was showing women in humorous, exaggerated roles, often wearing tight clothing to highlight their legs. However, the plays themselves were usually only mildly risqué.
Burlesque became the main focus of certain London theaters, such as the Gaiety and Royal Strand Theatre, from the 1860s to the early 1890s. Before the 1870s, burlesques were short, one-act performances lasting less than an hour, using parodies of songs, operas, and other music the audience would recognize. Popular performers included Nellie Farren, John D'Auban, Edward Terry, and Fred Leslie. By the 1880s, burlesques grew longer, becoming full evening shows instead of parts of multi-show performances. In the early 1890s, burlesque fell out of favor in London, and theaters like the Gaiety shifted to a new, more family-friendly style called Edwardian musical comedy.
American burlesque
American burlesque shows began as a type of entertainment that came from Victorian burlesque. The English version of this style was first performed successfully in New York in the 1840s. It became popular in the United States when a British burlesque group, Lydia Thompson and the "British Blondes," started performing there in 1868. Soon after, New York burlesque shows began to include elements from minstrel shows, which were a common form of entertainment at the time. These shows had three main parts: first, songs and humorous sketches performed by comedians; second, a variety of acts such as acrobats, magicians, and singers; and third, group performances or burlesque-style acts that often focused on politics or current events. The shows usually ended with an exotic dancer or a wrestling or boxing match.
Burlesque performances took place in clubs, cabarets, music halls, and theaters. By the early 1900s, there were two major circuits of burlesque shows in the United States, competing with another type of entertainment called vaudeville. In New York, there were also permanent burlesque companies, such as Minsky's at the Winter Garden. Over time, burlesque changed from its original form to include more striptease performances. At first, performers known as soubrettes danced and sang while showing off their figures. Some performers focused more on elaborate costumes than on dancing. Eventually, strippers replaced these performers. By 1932, there were at least 150 strippers working in burlesque shows across the United States. Famous performers included Sally Rand, Gypsy Rose Lee, Tempest Storm, Lili St. Cyr, Blaze Starr, Ann Corio, and Margie Hart, who was mentioned in songs by composers Lorenz Hart and Cole Porter. By the late 1930s, burlesque shows often featured six strippers, along with one or two comedians and a host who introduced acts. Early careers in burlesque included comedians such as 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 lively and open atmosphere of burlesque venues was partly due to the availability of alcohol. The government's ban on alcohol, called Prohibition, greatly affected burlesque by limiting its popularity. In New York, Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia strictly controlled burlesque, which led to its decline by the early 1940s. Burlesque continued in other parts of the United States but became less popular over time. By the 1970s, burlesque had largely disappeared, as nudity became more common in other types of theater. Films made during burlesque's decline and later years tried to capture its history, including Lady of Burlesque (1943), Striporama (1953), and The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968).
In recent years, burlesque has experienced a revival, sometimes called Neo-Burlesque. A new generation of performers, inspired by the glamour and spectacle of classic burlesque, helped bring the art back into the spotlight in the early 1990s. Events such as Billie Madley's "Cinema" and later shows like "Dutch Weismann's Follies" in New York City, "The Velvet Hammer" troupe in Los Angeles, and "The Shim-Shamettes" in New Orleans became popular. In 2012, Ivan Kane opened the Royal Jelly Burlesque Nightclub at Revel Atlantic City. Notable Neo-Burlesque performers include Dita Von Teese, Julie Atlas Muz, and groups like Cabaret Red Light, which added political satire and performance art to their shows. Events such as the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival and the Miss Exotic World Pageant are held annually.