Vaudeville is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began 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 composition or light poetry, interspersed with songs or ballets. It became popular in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s, while changing over time.
Helen Maxine Reddy was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a show business family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on radio and television and won a talent contest on the television program Bandstand in 1966; her prize was a ticket to New York City and a record audition, which was unsuccessful. After a short and unsuccessful singing career in New York, she eventually moved to Chicago, and subsequently, Los Angeles, where she made her debut singles "One Way Ticket" and "I Believe in Music" in 1968 and 1970, respectively. The B-side of the latter single, "I Don't Know How to Love Him", reached number eight on the pop chart of the Canadian magazine RPM. She was signed to Capitol Records a year later.
Roy Rene was an Australian comedian and vaudevillian. As the bawdy character Mo McCackie, Rene was one of the most well-known and successful Australian comedians of the early 20th century, and the local answer to Charlie Chaplin.
Ronald Ernest McMurtry, professionally known as Ron Shand and earlier in his career billed as Ronnie McMurtry, was an Australian actor and comedian who worked extensively in numerously genres of the show business industry including, circus, soft shoe, theatre, cabaret, revue vaudeville, radio, television and film and was also a recording artist in a career spanning over 70 years.
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were last awarded in 2016.
Janeece "Jan" Adele was an Australian actress and entertainer active in many fields including circus, vaudeville, theatre, film and television. She was best known for her recurring comedy role of vaudevillian showgirl Trixie O'Toole in the 1970s television soap opera Number 96, usually sharing scenes with co-stars Wendy Blacklock and Mike Dorsey.
Theatre of Australia refers to the history of the live performing arts in Australia: performed, written or produced by Australians.
Jeanne Mitchell, professionally known as Jeanne Little, was an Australian entertainer, comedienne and television personality who won the Gold Logie award in 1977. Her first success on television was on The Mike Walsh Show which earned her the Gold Logie plus two other Logies. Other television of appearances include Midday with Ray Martin and GMA with Bert Newton. She became well known for her flamboyant outfits, over-the-top personality and her trademark catch phrase said in a drawling speech of "Oh Dahling".
The Tivoli Circuit was a successful and popular Australian vaudeville entertainment circuit featuring revue, opera, ballet, dance, singing, musical comedy, old time black and white minstrel and even Shakespeare which flourished from 1893 to the 1950s, and featured local and international performers from the United States and the United Kingdom.
Amanda Harrison is an Australian actress and singer, known for her roles in Wicked (Elphaba), We Will Rock You, and for originating the role of Paula Pokrifki in the world premiere of An Officer and a Gentleman. She has performed in cabaret several times, including her current production Up Close and Reasonably Personal which she is expected to perform at Melbourne Cabaret Festival in June 2014 and recently David Harris, Michael Ball, Lea Salonga and Marie Zamora for Enda Markey Presents Do You Hear The People Sing at Shanghai Grand Theatre. She voiced characters for Get Ace an animation series released in January 2014. She appeared with Mig Ayesa, Michael Falzon and Carly Thomas-Smith for three performances of The Music of Queen - Rock and Symphonic Spectacular. The concert series began on 7 February 2014, at Sydney Opera House supported by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra before three performances in Perth, Western Australia between 13–15 February.
Robert Neal Dyer OBE was a Gold Logie-award-winning American-born vaudeville entertainer and singer, radio and television personality, and radio and television quiz show host who made his name in Australia. Dyer is best known for the long-running radio and then television quiz show, Pick a Box.
Terry Scanlon was an Australian comedian and pantomime artist. He was one of Australia's top comedians; he worked with some of the early greats of Australian comedy, including Roy Rene and George Wallace. In the 1930s, however, he was one of the vanguards to modernise comedy out of baggy suits, funny face make up and slapstick into the more modern stand up style comedian - in a tailored suit, the only prop a cigarette in hand, delivering gags. His role in the evolution of Australian comedy was acknowledged in a tribute by Joe Martin when he was honoured as a life member of the "ECHINDAS" by his peers years later.
Barbara Angell, also known as a performer as Barb Angell, Barbara Angela Angell, Barbara Angel and as a screenwriter Angela Barr, was Australia's first female television comedy writer-entertainer. She has also worked internationally in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States.
Tony Sheldon is an Australian actor and singer, best known for his work in theatre, especially his role as Bernadette in Priscilla Queen of the Desert. He is also a writer.
Trevor Ashley is an Australian musical theatre actor, cabaret, and drag artist based in Sydney. He also has appeared on television in The Very Trevor Ashley Show.
Vina Evelyn Hayes, better known as Evie Hayes, was an American-born actor and singer, best known for her stage success in Australia. She was once described as "the most popular box office attraction in Australian musical comedy since Gladys Moncrieff."
William James Fitzpatrick Mahoney was an American vaudevillian performer, stage actor and theatre manager of the latter he was best known for carving out a successful stage career in Australia.
Gloria Dawn was an Australian actress, choreographer singer and vaudevillian performer. She was one of the leading stars of the stage from the 1950s to her death.
The Tivoli Theatre was a major performing arts venue in Melbourne's East End Theatre District, located at 249 Bourke Street. The theatre's origins dated from 1866, with various remodelling and rebuilding throughout its history. Its final building opened as the New Opera House in 1901, and was renamed the Tivoli in 1914 when it joined the Tivoli circuit. The Tivoli eventually closed in 1966.
Reginald Francis Quartly was an English born Australian comedian who was well-known to Australian audiences for his work on stage, screen, radio and television over a period of "more than 50 years".
