The Voice of the City: Vaudeville and Popular Culture in New York
Snyder's 1989 history of vaudeville is more than just a catalog of the performers and their acts, although that is included. The author studies the social aspects of this cheap form of theater, which brought people of diverse ethnic backgrounds together both on the stage and in the audience. Performing also proved a source of employment for recently landed immigrants who had yet to learn English and acclimate themselves to their new society. This edition offers a new introduction in which the author updates his findings. "A scholarly but highly readable discussion" (LJ 11/1/89).Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.