An extravaganza is a literary or musical work (often
musical theatre) usually containing elements of
burlesque,
pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
,
music hall and parody in a spectacular production and characterized by freedom of style and structure. It sometimes also has elements of cabaret, circus,
revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...
, variety,
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
and
mime
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) is an Internet standard that extends the format of email messages to support text in character sets other than ASCII, as well as attachments of audio, video, images, and application programs. Message ...
. ''Extravaganza'' may more broadly refer to an elaborate, spectacular, and expensive theatrical production.
19th-century British dramatist,
James Planché
James Robinson Planché (27 February 1796 – 30 May 1880) was a British dramatist, antiquary and officer of arms. Over a period of approximately 60 years he wrote, adapted, or collaborated on 176 plays in a wide range of genres including ...
, was known for his extravaganzas. Planché defined the genre as "the whimsical treatment of a poetical subject."
[Planché. ''The recollections and reflections of J.R. Planché (Somerset herald): a professional biography'' (1872), Vol. II, p. 43]
The term is derived from the Italian word ''stravaganza'', meaning extravagance.
See also
*
Spectacle
*
Victorian burlesque
Victorian burlesque, sometimes known as travesty or extravaganza, is a genre of theatrical entertainment that was popular in Victorian England and in the New York theatre of the mid-19th century. It is a form of parody in which a well-known oper ...
References
Comedy
Italian words and phrases
Musical theatre
Theatrical genres
Satire
Variety shows
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