Burlesque theater, as burlesque originally began, was a dramatic literary or musical performance which was twisted in comical satire to bring caricaturization of more serious works. The word is derived from the Italian word, burlesco, also derived from another Italian word, burla, meaning joke or mockery. The elaboration of such comical performances developed into extravaganzas and parody in the late 17th century when works of Chaucer and Shakespeare and Graeco-Roman classics were retrospectively transformed. The transition of what burlesque is known as today, for its striptease performance only gradually developed over the last century. Soubrettes or maidservants would show off […]
