Women Vaudeville Stars

<p> Here are the stories of 80 women who were among the top vaudeville acts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when entertainment was often live variety shows in theaters across the country. Singers singer-comediennes comediennes dancers sister acts actresses male impersonators and novelty acts are covered as separate categories. Biographies of the performers in each category appear in order of the date they entered vaudeville an arrangement that allows the reader to trace the history of vaudeville itself. A final section concentrates on the headliners' heritage taking a broad look at the group according to ethnic background socioeconomic background family life and other factors including what happened to them after vaudeville died.</p>