Quiz 8-10

Question 1

minstrel show

Answer 1

a popular stage entertainment featuring songs, dances, and comic dialogue in highly conventionalized patterns, usually performed by white actors in blackface.

Question 2

what is an “englished” opera?

Answer 2

the modification of a european work into english; to be performed in america

Question 3

what actor did blackface first?

Answer 3

charles matthews, 1822

Question 4

what did blackface performers call themselves?

Answer 4

ethiopian delineators

Question 5

who called blackface, “jim crow”?

Answer 5

thomas dartmouth rice

Question 6

where did the term ‘minstrels’ originate?

Answer 6

a touring group called the Tyrolese Minstrel Family

Question 7

what are the names of the three most important stock characters in a minstrel show?

Answer 7

mr. rambo, mr. bones, mr. interlocutor

Question 8

how was a minstrel show arranged on stage?

Answer 8

the performers say in a semicircle on the stage, with end-men: mr. tambo and mr. bones. mr. interlocutor say in the middle of the semi circle and served as the master of ceremonies. the accompanying instrumentalists sat either behind the semicircle or in the pit.

Question 9

what is a cakewalk?

Answer 9

a popular “challenge-dance” that originated among the slaves on southern plantations. black dancers would strut and pose in imitation of white couples at fancy balls. the prize for the best mimicry was a cake.

Question 10

what is the olio?

Answer 10

the second act; here, the individuals presented performances on odd instruments, female impersonations (no women performed in early minstrel troupes), and peculiar dances

Question 11

what is the most famous minstrel show song written by dan emmet?

Answer 11

dixie’s land

Question 12

some stephen foster song titles:

Answer 12

‘oh, susannah’, ‘(i dream of) jeanie with the light brown hair’, & ‘swanee river’

Question 13

what is the original meaning of the word “melodrama”?

Answer 13

a stage work in which the characters speak either during pauses in the music, or while that music is playing; sometimes they don’t speak at all and just pantomime

Question 14

what is the current meaning of “melodrama”?

Answer 14

a sensational dramatic piece with exaggerated characters and events to appeal to the emotions

Question 15

‘the black crook’

Answer 15

debuted at Niblo’s Garden in NYC in 1866, could be considered the first native blockbuster hit in the history of the u.s, ran for 474 performances,

Question 16

what is a breeches role?

Answer 16

an actress appearing in masculine clothing

Question 17

what is a diagetic song?

Answer 17

when it’s truly believeable to have the characters sing. i.e. rocking a baby, church service

Question 18

what is the story behind ‘the black crook’?

Answer 18

a myth that a french ballet corps was left stranded without a place to perform when its new york theater burned down, but the manager at niblo’s garden figured out a way to include them in a “flop” that was struggling at his theater. this however, is not what happened. the school did burn down but many months before the troupe was due from paris.

Question 19

what is vaudeville?

Answer 19

a type of entertainment popular in the u.s. in the early 20th century, featuring a mixture of specialty acts such as burlesque comedy, song, and dance

Question 20

how did Tony Pastor launch Vaudeville?

Answer 20

he was a performer at 444 broadway theater. here, he rose in fame and learned the tricks of the trade. he changed acts often to encourage weekly visits, made inexpensive admission, and encouraged women and children to attend the theater

Question 21

why are they called “broadway shows”?

Answer 21

because most of the major theaters were located near or on Broadway Blvd. in Manhattan

Question 22

know circumstances and differences of ‘The Wizard of Oz’

Answer 22

in the operetta, dorothy had a cow instead of a dog. since david montgomery and fred stone were already a successful comedy team, their roles as the tin man and the scarecrow were much bigger than the part given to the cowardly lion. in the operetta, the plot is dorothy trying to help the king of oz regain his throne, with multiple allies that were not in the film. no songs from the operetta were repeated in the movie.

Question 23

victor herbert: dates and shows

Answer 23

Babes in Toyland (October 1903)