Please note: In order to keep Hive up to date and provide users with the best features, we are no longer able to fully support Internet Explorer. The site is still available to you, however some sections of the site may appear broken. We would encourage you to move to a more modern browser like Firefox, Edge or Chrome in order to experience the site fully.

The Red Letter at the Music Hall : Reviews from 1902-1914, Hardback Book

The Red Letter at the Music Hall : Reviews from 1902-1914 Hardback

Part of the Palgrave Studies in Comedy series

Hardback

Description

This book reprints and analyses reviews of music hall acts from the family magazine The Red Letter, which was published by the Scottish based firm D C Thomson from 1899 to 1987.

The articles under review range in date from 1902 to 1914, covering theatres all over Britain and acts from around the world.

The reviews are uniquely detailed and shed light not only on the early acts of comics who would later go on to achieve wider fame, such as Will Hay and Robb Wilton, but also reveal the acts of long forgotten performers.

These so-called ‘wines and spirits’ acts—acts that would never top the bill but who nevertheless toured the halls, sometimes for years on end, such as female impersonator Albert Letine, comedy magician Chris van Bern and female stand up Anna Dorothy amongst many others—deserve to be remembered every bit as much as the top of the bill acts.

The articles are arranged in sections, covering race, gender, character comedy, physical comedy, male comedy and specialty or ‘spesh’acts.

The reviews reveal not only the contents of the acts but also the audience reactions to those acts and prevailing contemporary Edwardian attitudes.

The articles are accompanied by their original illustrations, some of which are unique and, like the articles themselves, unseen for over a century.

Information

Other Formats

Save 18%

£44.99

£36.85

 
Free Home Delivery

on all orders

 
Pick up orders

from local bookshops

Information