|
|
Article: From Minstrel Stage to Broadway
- Article from:
- American Eras
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Gale Research Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
From Minstrel Stage to Broadway
Sources
The Minstrel Legacy.
As early as the 1700s, white actors
—
their faces smeared with burnt cork
—
took to the stage in
“
blackface
”
to portray African Americans. By the 1830s such portrayals had evolved into a staple form of entertainment at the circus or between acts at the theater, with song and dance augmenting display. By the next decade the first full-length
“
minstrel shows
”
had taken shape. These extravaganzas, featuring broad comedy, elaborate dress, and plaintive singing, represented (or misrepresented) black folkways for white audiences. The sentimental plantation ballads of white composer Stephen ...