What Was a Vaudeville Act?
An autographed photo of vaudeville legend Sophie Tucker, one of the few whose stardom outlasted the art form. An act could be darn near anything that was inoffensive and entertaining. A performer’s gender, race and appearance were no barrier to success, and nothing was too eccentric if it gave an audience ten to fifteen minutes of diversion. While singers and dancers were part of every bill, the specialty acts set vaudeville apart • mind readers • instrumentalists • escape artists – Houdini and his many imitators • flash acts – any “showy” act boasting its own lavish set, a large chorus, special effects, etc. • high divers • quick-change artists • strong men • living statuary • contortionists • balancing acts • freak acts – anyone acting crazy or silly – eccentric dancers, etc. • regurgitators – these individuals drank liquids and then brought them back up to fill fish tanks, etc. Hadji Ali would swallow water & kerosene, then spew kerosene onto open flames, followed by the water to pu
