In short, it’s a return to vaudeville, a type of stage show that was popular 100 years ago. Modern talent struts and frets on the stage. Vaudeville Revival is distinct from New Vaudeville, which was a movement that sort of petered out in the 90s.
Vaudeville Revival includes a lot of burlesque, comedy, music, and a particular appreciation for “weirdo” acts, acts in the style of The Great Gonzo. Weird stuff, leaving the audience whether or not to laugh. Past weirdo acts from the Gonzo Rising series of shows include some dissipated clowns, gender-bending poetry, ballet-dancing dinosaurs, alien opera. You know, the good stuff.
And Vaudeville Revival also stands as a force against the homogenization of stage variety shows. Newcomers, LGBT performers, performers of all races, cultures and body types are welcome!
And vaudeville, of course, always has this benefit for theater-goers: if you don’t like the current act, wait 10 minutes and something totally different will appear!
Here in Salt Lake City (and virtually), look forward to some Vaudeville Revival out of the Alliance Theater, with some old Gonzo stars, puppets, edgy burlesquers, improv comics, clowns, and possibly a real, old-school revivalist.
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