The concert saloon was an American adaptation of the
English music hall, and a precursor of variety and
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 compositio ...
theater. As in the music hall,
alcohol 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
American culture
Comedy
Entertainment in the United States
Theatrical genres