Friday 12th December 2014 - Dance Reflection (Autumn Term)

My targets for next term are to work on my facial expressions in dance, this is especially important in musical theatre because most of the time the things that are happening on stage are supposed to be over the top. As well as this the dances that are usally in musical theatre shows tell a story relate to a theme therfore facial expressions are an important part of showing a theme or a story to an audience. To imporve on this is i am going to practice with different facial expressions using the mirrors in the dance studio, this is so i can see what i look like when i dance and i can see if my characterisation fits with the theme or the subject of the dance.

Thursday 18th December 2014 - Evaluation Of Bugsy Malone (Blousey)

Thursday 18th December 2014
Evaluation Of Bugsy Malone (Blousey)

The Opening Scene - Whilst watching back the video of Bugsy Malone i noticed that in the opening scene i was speaking too fast, in my first two lines were quite hard to hear what was being said clearly. However in the next scene that i was in i did notice that i slowed down a little bit, this was better as the words were easier to understand.

Proxemics With The Audience - As well as this i should have been more carefull with the suitcase that i carried round as i noticed that i slightly hit somone with it whilst exiting. My proxemics were not so good as it is important to make sure that the audience are not hit, in the matenee show i found it easier to make sure this didnt happen as there was more space because there were less audience around the set. This made it easier to enter and exit with enough space. As there were more people in the audience that there was space for, we had to give up our cast table. As a result of this for the time that i wasnt on stage i stood near the bar, however i was next to a lamp therefore even when the bar was blacked out, the audience could still see me. I didnt notice this untill i watched it back, if I had have noticed this during the performance I would have moved further back or backstage to avoid any distractions of scenes that I wasn't In.

Proxemics With The Other Actors - Blousey has different proxemics with different characters is the play for example she has a close relationship with the character of Bugsy however she stays far away from Tallulah. This shows the audience about the relationships between characters without any dialogue, I was happy with the way that Blousey and Bugsy were close to each other for the majority of the performance this represents how they have a close relationship. As well as this Blousey follows Bugsy around for some of the conversation scenes between them, this suggested that she has an interest in what he has to say. In contrast to this Blousey doesn't stay close to Tallulah, for example in the "Bucket of mud" scene even though she laughs at her, she doesn't stand to close to her suggesting that she doesn't like her.  

Proxemics With The Set - Blousey walks around the majority of the set , this shows the audience that she doesn't really belong anywhere and she is always just looking around waiting for something to happen. Especially in the opening scene when I am walking around the set without a specific place to go to I do this again in act 2 whilst singing "ordinary fool". When I am a Fat Sam dancer I stay near the stage because Blousey wants to be a performer and she always dreams of being on stage.

Tomorrow Dance - In the first show because there were more people in the audience than expected it was harder to do this dance because there wasn't enough space to fully do the choreography. Therefore I had to decide on a pathway that I could take were I would avoid any collisions with audience members as well as this I found that I had to improvise different parts of the dance because of the space and the way that I had to move around so that everyone in the audience was able to see what was happening. In the first performance of this I should have focused more as i slightly slipped on some silly string that was used in one of the first scenes. For the second performance we decided to change where Blousey entered, instead of entering near Dandy Dans to entering through Fat Sams office, this worked better with the storyline of the play as Blousey has more of a connection with Fat Sam compared to Dandy Dan. This meant that the firs part of the dance was on the stage however there wasn't much space on this either and the stage blocks kept moving and it sounded as if it was interrupting the song as they were making banging sounds. The second performance of this looked very different to the first as i had to improvise around the space differently than before. Also there were less people in the second audience so therefore i had more space and i moved in a different pathway.

Im Feeling Fine - The first "im feeling fine" did not go so well, my pitching was slightly off and therefore the song didnt sound so good. I struggled with the pitching of the song during rehearsals on the performance it wasnt as bad as in rehearsals but it wasnt as good as it could have been with more practice. I found that in the second show this song went better, I think this is because I felt more confident whilst singing the song this is because in the first performance of it I was still struggling with the pitching of it however once I was more familiar with it sounded better.

Bugsy Malone - Whilst watching this back i found that this song didnt sound that good, this is partly because it was too high for me to sing comfortably. I also think that my pitching was slightly off and therefore I didn't feel so confident with the performance, as well as this I could have had better characterisation, this would have improved the performance because it would have shown the audience why Blousey was singing this song rather than just a reprise of a previous song in the show.

My Name Is Tallulah - In the first part of this dance i was out of time, this was obvious and didnt look so good because i was too fast to keep in time with the other girls. As well as this the backing vocals for this were too high for the song, this made it sound as if the chorus doesnt fit with the rest of the song. However inbetween the first two shows we rehearsed with the piano to make sure that we got the pitching right. Because in the second show it sounded better as we were in tune with Tallulah.

The phone box scene - When watching the performance back I noticed that I spoke too fast in this scene, it would have been better if I slowed it down a little so that it was easier to understand. I thought that in the second performance I did slow down, this is partly because I felt more confident. As well as this in the first performance I felt like when I was talking to Bugsy on the phone I was looking across the set at him when I should have been looking at the phone. This would have been better as it would have looked like I was actually talking on the phone to him rather than a face to face conversation.

Ordinary Fool - In the final rehearsals of this song I was advised to sing the song whilst slowly moving around the set, this is to make sure that everyone in the audience saw.  This also made it look more interesting to the audience because I wasn't just standing on a stage block singing. Overall I thought the first performance went well, my pitching was mostly correct which was an improvement on previous rehearsals where it did not go so good. As well as this is thought that my eye-line and focus was good as I felt confident with the performance, this allowed me to show that the character of Blousey is both upset and angry as I wasn't looking down I was able to use facial expressions to show this. Although the first performance went well I thought that the second went better, I think that this is because I felt more confident being alone on stage in front of an audience. Even though it was better to be moving around the set during the performance it would have been better if I had properly worked out a pathway that I could have taken and timed it with the music, this is because I felt like sometimes I was walking too fast and therefore has to stay still for some parts as I didn't want to be constantly walking around the central stage block. In both performances I thought that the last verse went well, the dynamics in this verse are louder than the rest of the song. I wanted to do this so that the song didn't sound the same the whole way through.


Fat Sams Grand Slam - In the first performance of this our timing was slightly off as we were not able to rehearse as a group much, however everyone in this dance had high energy which is what it needed. This is because we were supposed to be flapper girls in a 1920s speakeasy and were a type of entertainment for the people that came into the speakeasy therefore we had to be interesting to watch. I thought I had good characterisation in this performance through facial expressions as they had to be over the top so that everyone in the audience was able to see the full context of the song. In my opinion the second performance of this song as much better than the first this is because we were more confident so we were able to be more over the top than before. As well as this we had rehearsed more inbetween the two shows so the we were more in time with each other, this improved how the dance looked a lot. I thought that the vocals in both performances sounded good as everyone put in a lot of effort to make sure that it was loud enough whilst staying in tune with each other and the music.

You Give A Little Love - In the first performance of this song we as a class noticed that we didn't space out as much as we could have. This meant that not all of the audience got a good view of the dance steps that were being performed, as well as this I got some of the verses mixed up with each other as I hadn't had run through the song enough times. Before the second performance I practised it more to make sure that I got all of the words right. As well as this the class spaced out al little bit more however this was still not as good as it could have been. In the next part of the song when we were in two circles the timing of the arm movements were all in time, this looked good as we were all doing the same thing at the same time  as we had rehearsed this many times in the dance studio and in the set.

Overall Characterisation - When watching back I thought that I could have portrayed the character of Blousey better, in the first scene I could have shown that I was lost in an unfamiliar place. I partly did this by looking around as if i was lost however i could have tried other things such as eye-line and facial expressions to show this more. I thought that my characterisation was better in act 2, especially in the dances like My Name Is Tallulah and Fat Sams Grand Slam where the dancers have to be over the top. As well as this we stayed in character in the interval, this helped me with my performance in the second act as there wasn't a break where the cast came out of character. This meant that we didn't have to spend time preparing for act 2. I thought that my characterisation was better in my second performance, this is because the first performance went well so the whole cast including me felt more comfortable with the performance so everyone felt more confident staying in character. I could have improved on my facial expressions this is because Blousey has different moods for example happy, angry and sad I could have used facial expressions to show the audience these moods more to the audience. I think I partly did this but I could have worked harder at this in rehearsals to make sure that it was better.

Voice (Accent) - For the character of Blousey I had to an American accent, this is because the play was set In Chicago therefore everyone in the cast has an American accent to relate to the context. It was important that the cast sticks to their accents so that the audience understands the context, also because the audience were in the set it helps make them more involved in the show. In the first rehearsals my accent didn't go very well as I found it difficult to say some words like "wisey" however after I had practised it more I found it easier. In both shows I think that my accent in dialogue was good but I felt that when I was singing my songs I lost my accent. I need to work on keeping accents whilst singing for any future performances.  

Voice (Diction) - I thought that my diction for Bugsy Malone wasn't very good, this is partly because I was doing an American accent, some of my words became slurred. I found  it hard to not slur my words, so I tried to slow down my dialogue but It didn't really work. My diction was better whilst I was singing mostly in "ordinary fool" however it still wasn't as good as it could have been if I had worked on diction more during rehearsals.

Voice (Projection) - I didn't think that my projection in the show was very good, this is because I didn't make all of my dialogue loud enough for all audience members to hear. For example when I was by the top stage area I don't think I was loud enough for the people sitting by Dandy Dans to hear clearly. For future performances I need to work on my projection to make sure that my projection for dialogue and singing is better so that everyone in the audience can hear me clearly. My projection for the songs "Im Feeling Fine"  and "Bugsy Malone" was not good, I think this is partly because I didn't feel very confident with these songs. Also I was on the top stage compared to "Ordinary Fool" where I was in the middle of the middle of set I found it easier to project this song because more of the audience was closer to me.

Posture - In the first act Blousey is quite shy and therefore my posture was more introverted, this was to show the audience that her character feels lost as she isn't confident in the way that she moves around. In contrast to this, in act 2 Blousey feels more confident as she got a job at Fat Sams and feels as though she has achieved something. Because of this I walked slightly faster as she is more familiar with the space around her, my posture was also less introverted than the first act.

Communication To The Audience - As Blousey is the character in the show that gain the audiences sympathy as she is constantly having bad luck, she finds it hard to find a job and she has trouble with Bugsy. To make sure that the audience understood this I tried to act like I was nervous, however when Blousey gains confidence in act 2 she is more like the other flapper girls she is not as outgoing as Tallulah but there is still a contrast from the beginning of act 1 and the beginning of act 2 . I showed this contrast by using facial expressions to reflect her different moods that she has during the play as well as this by the way that I walked around the set, for example in act 2 I walked slightly faster with more confidence. There is also a difference in the way that I moved around the set in " ordinary fool "and " fat sams grand slam ", where in " ordinary fool it was almost as if I was dragging myself around as I walked slow and changing my eyeline to looking down and then back up, this showed that Blousey is feeling completely fed up and upset that she has been let down again. However in "fat sams grand slam" when she feels more happier and I have more smiley facial expressions and more choreographed dance moves as she has just found out that she is going to Hollywood with Bugsy and her dreams are coming true.

Targets For The Next Show -

• Pitching of songs - During rehearsals of Bugsy Malone I struggled with the pitching of my songs, to prepare for my next performance I am going to practice singing exercises like scales to improve my pitching. This is important so that any songs that I sing are sung in the correct pitch and so my voice doesn't clash with the accompaniment.
• Extension in dance - When looking back at this performance I noticed that my extension of dance movements were not as good as they could have been. It is important that all movements are fully extended so that they look better as they are finished instead of half done. I am going to work on this by practicing dances infront of the mirror so that I can see what I am doing.
• Facial expressions - This is important so that the audience can see the moods of the characters without any dialogue having to be spoken, I need to work on this because I noticed that I don't show much emotion through any facial expressions. I am going to do this by using the mirror when rehearsing for performances including songs and dances.
• Slower speech - I notice that when I feel a but nervous I talk faster, I need to work on slowing down so that the audience can understand what I am saying.
• Focus during performances - In one of the performances of Bugsy Malone I missed my cue to go back on stage after "Ordinary fool". I need to make sure in the next performance I make sure that I am listening to what is happening on stage so that I don't miss any cues.

Friday 21st November 2014 - Fat Sams Grand Slam

Friday 21st November 2014
Fat Sams Grand Slam

I quickly learnt the movements for this dance, but as i only had a short amount of time i didnt finish learning the choreography. Over the next week i am going to spend time with the other fat sam dancers to learn this.

During rehearsals I finished learning the dance and practised it with the other dancers on the stage. We also did this whilst singing so that we could get used to singing and dancing at the same time. At first as a group we had trouble making it as energetic as it needed to be but then we went back into the dance studio so that we could see what w were doing in the mirrors. This helped me as I could see which facial expressions worked best with the theme of the song.

As well as facial expressions we worked on timing and projection of the dance moves, this meant that we could see if we had the correct timing with each other and that we all had the same sized movements. We had to focus on this because in rehearsals some people in the group had big, over the top movements whereas other people has much smaller. We had to work together to make sure that we all looked the same.

Thursday 20th November 2014 - Variety Show

Thursday 20th November 2014
Variety Show

The History Of The Music Hall

Song And Supper Rooms - In the 1830s song and supper rooms were popular among the middle-class, they served hot food for the audience and provided them with entertainment until the early ours of the morning. In supper rooms in Covent Garden like "Evans song" singers were paid £1 a week and were given free drinks, the star of "Evans song was Sam Cowell who was famous for his song "The rat catchers daughter".

Music Hall - The music hall originated in 18th century London where workmen gathered at the end of a long work day to socialise. Many of the acts that were performed for these people were about  how the rich exploited the poor, this gave the workmen a chance to express their opinions about their bosses. To control these events there was someone sitting side stage on a chair, this was know as the chairman. Music halls were a difficult place to perform in as the audience often engaged in their own conversations and were loud and disruptive, sometimes the audience even threw things at the performers if they didn't like the act. Things that were thrown included bottles, old boots and even a dead cat. In some halls waiters carried bottles that were chained to trays to prevent them from being stolen or smashed, as well as this the orchestra was protected by steel grilles that were stretched over the pit to make sure that they were not injured.


Green Gate Tavern Theatre - This was a victorian theatre hall on London's city hall, entertainment included comedy and music. This image is from 1854, it shows that not many of the audience seem to be interested in what is happening on stage. This suggests that the entertainment is just used as background noise to their conversations.

The First Music Halls

The Canterbury Hall - Mr Charles Morton, opened the first purpose built music hall called the Canterbury Hall in 1852. It could seat up to 700people and the audience were seated at round tables were food and drink was served during the performances. The performances took place on a platform at one end of the music hall and were watched by the chairman, Mr John Caulfield. The star of the performance was Sam Cowell and the entrance into the Canterbury Hall cost each person a sixpenny. Because of Sam Cowells success Charles Morton built a larger Music Hall which opened in 1856 with chandeliers, a balcony and an art exhibition.

Ladies Thursday - Charles Morton wanted to encourage more women into the music halls, he introduced ladies Thursdays, this is where women could accompany a man to the hall, however this did not have to be the mans wife. These halls developed a bad reputation as there were prostitutes walking up and down the auditorium waiting for the men.

New Music Halls - Because of the success of the Canterbury Hall, many other music halls opened up across London. By 1875 there were 375 music halls in London, this meant that more performers were required to perform on stage, many women wanted to do this as it was a way of being independent for working-class women. Performing at the music halls was a way for making a decent way that they could live off of.

West End Music Halls

As music halls had become a very popular type of entertainment it had branched out into the west end, this then created more of an upper class audience. Music hall entertainment became a night out for the more wealthy people that would behave respectively and dress up in evening gowns and suits. Some of these music halls were managed by Oswald Stoll. 

The Alhambra - This was a west end music hall situated in Leicester square and was among the most famous and biggest music halls these had seating like theatres in rows facing a proscenium stage rather than tables and the bar and refreshments were served in a seperate room. This was to avoid food and drink being thrown at the performers, as well as this it also kept socialising and watching the entertainment separate to avoid the performance from being interrupted or disturbed. 

The Performers

Because music halls were become more and more popular, the main attraction was so that the audience could watch the performers rather than the food and drink that was being served. Some of the performers were so successful that they would perform in a number of different music halls each night, they would cross London in-between appearances. By performing in a range of different venues each night the most popular entertainers earned a lot of money.

Sam Cowell (5 April 1820 - 11 March 1864) - Sam Cowell was born in London  and was brought to America by is father "Joseph Cowell" in 1820, he became a child actor in Boston and starred in many plays. He later appeared in many theatres across America. At the age if 20 he returned to Britain working in Edinburgh before London performing in song and supper rooms. He became popular quickly and was a well known act that performed in music halls around London. In 1860 he returned to America however he suffered with poor health so he was unable to perform, therefore he came back to England in 1862 still with failing health and he was declared bankrupt in 1863 and died in the following March.

Champagne Charlie - This is a music hall song that was popular in the 19th century, it was originally sung by George Leybourne in 1866 in Leeds. This was one of his most famous songs, so much so that he was called "Champagne Charlie" rather than his actual name. He was employed at the Canterbury hall in 1866, he was payed £30 a week, over the next year because of his success his wages increased from this to £120 a week. The theatre manger William Holland told him that he could only drink champagne in public so that customers would recognise him and his song.

The Music Hall Strike Of 1907

Because music hall became so popular, managers decided to introduce contracts for the performers, these became strict, the main clause was the exclusivity clause. This meant that the performers were not allowed to work in another theatre before or after an appearance, this also meant that they were not allowed to work in another theatre that was a certain distance away from their first performance. This limited the amount of money that the performers could earn as they couldn't perform in more than one theatre in the same night as they had previously done before. Most of these contracts included that the performers had to work at least one matinee a week without any additional payments.

On the 22nd January 1907, the performers and stagehands at the Holborn theatre went on strike, these were followed by other music halls in London. These strikes were lead by the "Variety Artistes Federation" who were first formed in 1906. Higher payments were demanded for the extra performances that they had to appear in, the managers tried to keep the music halls open by employing less well known acts or encouraging retired performers to come back. Even well paid performers went on strike too, this was to show their support to the other music hall stars and the "Variety Artistes Federation". Eventually the managers of the music hall agreed to give the performers additional wages for extra performances.

Types Of Acts

Aerial Acts - These are performed on ropes above the audience, one example of a performer who did these is "The Great Leotard". He invented the flying trapeze act, this was performed in the Alhambra theatre. Another example is a tightrope walker called "Blondin" he walked from the one balcony of the Canterbury Music Hall to the other. The acts became popular in music halls across London as the audience were intrigued in the act as they were more interesting to watch compared to a singer or a dance group. 

Character Songs - In the first music halls, comic singers were the most popular type of acts, this is because these songs were focused around social issues and working class life. This was often to engage the audience, who had been at work all day in the factories where they had been paid an unfair wage by the factory owners.  The songs varied between topics such as mother-in-laws, overdue rent, unfaithful husbands and wives, drink and debt. 

Burlesque - This is a form of dance which was used to engage the audience, it involved risque movements and costumes. These dances could either fats or slow and were sometimes performed by the opposite sex, for example a man would dress up as a women and dance around the stage as if he were.

War Recruitment - At the beginning of WW1 music halls were used to recruite men to join up to the army. They would do this by having women dancing on stage and offering them a reward when they did such as a kiss from one of these women. Once the men had signed up they were not allowed to back out, these shows would make them think that that joining up to the army would make them seem desirable to their families and women. One example of this is in the musical "Oh what a lovely war".

American Vaudeville - This was a type of entertainment that became popular after the civil war, it created an industry that was managed by a number of white collar workers. It also increased the average working class persons leisure time and changes the tastes of what people wanted to watch, both working and middle class. American vaudeville started after the Europeans had discovered variety theatre before 1850, audiences could enjoy presentations of dance, comedy, acrobats and readings of Shakespeare in the same evening. As this became more popular more places began to open and more acts became available to the audience such as travelling circuses, riverboats and amusement parks. These places often featured a cleaner forms of variety theatre in saloons, music halls and burlesque houses.

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma02/easton/vaudeville/vaudevillemain.html

Variety theatre in America became known as vaudeville after 1871 with the formation of "Sargents Great Vaudeville Company" of Louiseville in Kentucky, this provided variety theatre to the middle class. In the early 1880s Tony Pastor who had previously been a ringmaster for a travelling circus but had become a theatre manager ran many theatres in New York that began to provide programmes, which would feature a polite introduction to each of the acts that were going to perform. He wanted to attract customers that were female and family-based shoppers from the uptown, he banned alcohol and any risqué acts from his theatres. This had become successful and soon many other theatre managers had followed. One journalist wrote at the opening of B.F. Keith's New Theatre in Boston, 1894 



Keith's New Theatre, Boston 1894
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma02/easton/vaudeville/vaudevillemain.html

"The age of luxury seems to have reached its ultima thule. The truth of this has never been impressed upon one so forcibly as in a visit to Keith's dream palace of a theatre . . . .It is almost incredible that all this elegance should be placed at the disposal of the public, the poor as well as the rich."



This new theatre was heavily decorated with stained glass, marble pillars and gargoyles outside, on the inside the lobby and foyer was decorated with leather furniture, paintings and brass. There were balconies and private boxes for the more wealthier audiences. This theatre also had strict rules for its customers, these included:

1. "Gentlemen will kindly avoid carrying cigars or cigarettes in their mouths while in the building."
2. "The Management Gentlemen will kindly avoid the stamping of feet and pounding of canes on the floor, and greatly oblige the Management"
3. "All applause is best shown by clapping of hands."
4. "Please don't talk during acts, as it annoys those about you, and prevents a perfect hearing of the entertainment"

These rules were set in place because the theatre managers wanted the audience to have respect for the theatre and the performers that were on stage. They didn't want audience members to throw things at the stage that could cause disruption or that would mess up the theatre. Because of this, these type of theatres were aimed at the middle class audience.

Modern Variety Shows

http://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/barry-humphries

The Royal Variety Performance - This performance takes place each year in a different UK theatre each time, the Queen and the Prince of Wales attend on alternate years. All of the money that is made from this performance is donated to the Entertainment Artistes Benevolent Fund, this helps hundreds of performers in the UK who need help and assistance as a result of old age etc. The royal variety performance began in 1912 when King George 5th and Queen Mary agreed to attend a "Royal Command Performance" at the Palace Theatre in London. In July 1919 the second Royal show was performed held at the Coliseum also in London, this was celebrated as a celebration of peace after the first world war. In recent years the winner of Britains got talent (a talent show that allows anyone to audition with any type of act to compete against each other) gets to perform at the royal variety performance. Other performers include Ed Sheeran, Michael Macintyre and Shirley Bassie. 

Britain's Got Talent - This is a talent show that is played on ITV1, the show holds the guiness world record for the most successful reality tv show. Its first series was in 2007, the judges have changed over the years but currently the judges are Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and David Walliams. Applicants include dancers, singers, acrobats and comedians among many other types of acts, the performers can be any age, gender or ethnicity and from any type of background and talent. 

https://www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/herohub/m
edia-centre-downloads?category=journalists

Charity Variety Shows - Charitys such as "Children in need" and "Comic relief" host annual variety shows to raise money, "Children in need" 2014 raised £32.6m, it was hosted by Sir Terry Wogan, Tess Daily, Ferne Cotton and Nick Grimshaw. Many different acts performed such as One direction and Susan Boyle as well as special editions of tv programmes such as Eastenders. These shows gain audience members as many different perfomers are featured, therefore people who are interested in a particular performer will want to watch just because they want to see them, this performer may have a different audience to another performer. Because of this more people will want to donate to this charity.

https://twitter.com/mcintweet

Michael Mcintyre - He is a stand-up comedian who has been featured in the royal variety show, this is an example of a modern day variety theatre performer. In 2012 he was reported to be the highest grossing comedian in the world of the year. He has performed at the royal variety show three times including hosting it, making him the youngest person to ever host the performance.

Musical Theatre - This is a successful industry that used character songs, monologues and dance into a show that tells a story to an audience. Unlike variety theatre musical theatre shows are not lots of short unrelated performances but incorporate these things that were used to be create an on-stage story. Many musicals such as "Wicked" and "Billy Elliott" have been very successful and have shown on Broadway in New York as well as the West end in London.

Chicago The Musical - This musical is set in 1920s America where many speakeasies held variety shows during the prohibition era. The opening scene shows the audience many different acts that are waiting to perform in the corridors, there is one successful act - Velma and her sister. They travelled around different venues and performed In many different in one night. One girl - Roxie, dreams of being able to be on stage and perform like these other performers. Eventually after auditioning by herself at many different venues, at the end her and Velma join together to form a combined act that they travel around with.

Burlesque The Musical - This is a modern day musical that was made for film, it is focused around a burlesque house in LA. Burlesque was a popular type of entertainment that was used in variety theatre, it is based on one girl who moves from a small town and hopes to be a dancer in the shows, she eventually changes the show by being the main singer and dancer.

This suggests that variety theatre still has an impact on many different types of modern entertainment that is very popular now, these include music, film and on-stage shows.






V&A:The story of the music hall http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-story-of-music-halls/ (20th November 2014)

V&A: Character Acts http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/m/music-hall-character-acts/ (20th November 2014)

Wikipedia:Sam Cowell http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Cowell ( 29th January 2014)

Vaudeville:A dazzling Display of Hetereogeneous Splender can be found at http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma02/easton/vaudeville/vaudevillemain.html (Tuesday 17th February 2015)

The official website of the British monarchy:The royal variety performance can be found at http://www.royal.gov.uk/RoyalEventsandCeremonies/TheRoyalVarietyPerformance/TheRoyalVarietyPerformance.aspx

(Tuesday 17th February 2015)

V&A:George Leybourne http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/g/george-leybourne/ (Tuesday 17th February 2015)

BBC News:Children in Need 2014 raises £32.6m for charities http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30041599 (Tuesday 17th February 2015)

Thames:Britians got talent http://www.thames.tv/our-shows/britains-got-talent (Wednesday 25th February 2015)