Burlesque: Legendary Stars of the Stage
by Jane Briggeman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jane BriggemanEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-09
ISBN: 1888054948
Number of pages: 176
Publisher: Collectors Press
Book Reviews of Burlesque: Legendary Stars of the Stage
Book Review: A Labor of love
Summary: 5 Stars
As another reviewer already said, this book is obviously a labor of love. The author went to a tremendous of amount of effort to get interviews from dozens of the surviving Burlesque trooper, whose histories and stories are engagingly told in this book.
I happened to see the book in a used bookstore, and picked it up just for fun. I didn't know anything about the subject, and was surprised at how much there was to know. For example, one of the women points out that back in those days, they didn't have the elaborate production numbers that they do now, and so just simple talent had to carry the brunt of the show, and she's generous (unfortunately I don't recall her name) in saying that the whole cast was just packed with talent and everyone in the show was usually very talented, so that usually wasn't a problem.
I was so naive about the subject that I didn't even know that women were appearing on stage in such skimpy costumes back then. :-) I thought it only happened in photos taken in shady back rooms for rags that were circulated to a small but discrete clientele. Until Playboy came along in the 50s, you didn't this kind of nudity anywhere in print, at least in a widely circulated publication. But the women here are easily the the peers of those from the famed silkscreen magazine era.
But even more than the visual titillation aspect of the book is that the stories of these women, who were true pioneers and unappreciated until now in many ways, are being told for posterity. Also, some of the men who were important to the period are profiled too. Overall, it's a fine book on what was a bygone and almost lost age of the stage and theater that finally seems to be getting some of the credit it deserves.
And as for the reviewer who gave the book a low rating because he works on Broadway and thought the book should have mentioned the new Burlesque revival, and that the book was just the author gushing about shows she'd never actually seen hersellf, well, stop whining. The book is about the old Burlesque, not the new stuff. And as for not having seen it, that's pretty much the nature of history, since most of it wasn't seen firsthand, anyway. And if you want a book on the new revival, then go write it yourself. Some day someone will be saying the same thing about you.
Summary of Burlesque: Legendary Stars of the Stage
They were temptresses of tease and specialists in seduction?bawdy and beautiful burlesque performers. Expertly twirling their tassels, these sexy stage professionals took cues from their vaudeville and variety show predecessors. Remembering the time when a striptease was a theatrical act complete with humor, live music, and skits, BURLESQUE: LEGENDARY STARS OF THE STAGE captures the spirit of the genre with photographs, interviews, and histories. The book is a tribute to the performers who shimmied and shook for countless crowds while striving to maintain a high level of artistry and professionalism. Author Jane Briggeman is the founder of the Golden Days of Burlesque Historical Society, whose mission is to unite former stage performers and promote the story of their craft. Spurred by the deaths of some of burlesque?s greatest names, BURLESQUE captures the heart of this unique industry.Dance Books
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