- published: 25 May 2008
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Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill. Types of acts included popular and classical musicians, dancers, comedians, trained animals, magicians, female and male impersonators, acrobats, illustrated songs, jugglers, one-act plays or scenes from plays, athletes, lecturing celebrities, minstrels, and movies. A Vaudeville performer is often referred to as a vaudevillian.
Vaudeville developed from many sources, including the concert saloon, minstrelsy, freak shows, dime museums, and literary burlesque. Called "the heart of American show business," vaudeville was one of the most popular types of entertainment in North America for several decades.
The origin of the term is obscure, but is often explained as being derived from the expression voix de ville which means "voice of the city" or "songs of the town." A second speculation is that it comes from the fifteenth century songs on satire by Olivier Basselin, "Vaux de Vire." Another plausible etymology finds origins in the French Vau de Vire, a valley in Normandy noted for its style of satirical songs with topical themes. The term vaudeville, referring specifically to North American variety entertainment, came into common usage after 1871 with the formation of Sargent's Great Vaudeville Company of Louisville, Kentucky. It had little, if anything, to do with the Comédie en vaudeville of the French theatre.
Judy Garland (June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was an American actress, singer and vaudevillian. Renowned for her contralto voice, she attained international stardom through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage. Respected for her versatility, she received a Juvenile Academy Award and won a Golden Globe Award, as well as Grammy Awards and a Special Tony Award. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the remake of A Star is Born and for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1961 film, Judgment at Nuremberg. At 39 years of age, she remains the youngest recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in the motion picture industry.
After appearing in vaudeville with her two older sisters, Garland was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a teenager. There she made more than two dozen films, including nine with Mickey Rooney and the 1939 film with which she would be most identified, The Wizard of Oz. After 15 years, she was released from the studio but gained renewed success through record-breaking concert appearances, including a return to acting beginning with critically acclaimed performances.
Life is a stage where we play a role
Days are gone and we wait for the audience to come
There is reward for those who stand for the applause
Only for the sincere hearts and good souls
When the curtain opens in front of you
it's time to play and be yourself
When the theater is crowded
It's your turn to be alive
Show me your gift
Let me know your desires
Show me your brightness
Spread your light now and make me cry
Make me cry and share your dreams with me
Starlight - Watching you in the spotlight
On the stages of our lives
Shedding tears from everyone
Starlight - Watching you in the spotlight
Entertaining the audience
Giving your heart and your soul
Walk on the streets and shine like a star
And try to remember who you really are
When the curtain opens in front of you
It's your time to play and be yourself
Spread your light now and make me cry
Make me cry and share your dreams with me
Starlight - Watching you in the spotlight
On the stages of our lives
Shedding tears from everyone
Starlight - Watching you in the spotlight
Entertaining the audience