The concert saloon was an American adaptation of the
English music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...
, and a precursor of variety and
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
theater. As in the music hall,
alcohol
Alcohol may refer to:
Common uses
* Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds
* Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life
** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages
** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...
was served. The entertainment at the
saloon was to hold the imbiber's attention so they would imbibe more.
Further reading
Zellers, Parker R. (Dec., 1968). "The Cradle of Variety: The Concert Saloon".
''Educational Theatre Journal'', Vol. 20, No. 4, 578-585
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Concert Saloon
Vaudeville theaters
Culture of the United States
Comedy
Entertainment in the United States
Theatrical genres