Tab show
Encyclopedia
A tab show was a short or 'tabloid' version of various popular musical comedies
performed in the United States
in the early 20th century.
bill. The substitution of these shows for a portion of vaudeville acts in the early 1900s was described as "far-reaching in its scope" in a Billboard
article of 23 December 1911.
Second, they were often performed in conjunction with silent film
s for a half hour performance either before the film came on, or as a vaudeville act between films. Show Boat
was one Broadway
hit that was reduced to a truncated tab show running in movie theaters in the early 1930s.
Third, tab shows were closely related to the early, non-stripper versions of burlesque
. The girls were 'clean' and did not have bare legs. By the 1920s, "tab show" was sometimes used to avoid the negative, low-brow connotations of "burlesque".
There are two suggestions for the origin of the word "tab". It is often said to be derived from "tabloid", as in the short form of a newspaper. Alternatively, it could refer to "tableau" as in the tab style of curtain across the front of a stage, since the curtain and a few pieces of furniture might be the only scenery used by a tab show.
As variations on these themes, tab shows occasionally were up to two hours in length and with their lower costs and fewer logistic demands, were a popular alternative to vaudeville acts in the 1910s. Also, while the term "tab show" may have been restricted to the United States, the theme of the vicissitudes of traveling third-rate vaudevillians was presented in 1950 in Federico Fellini
's Italian film Variety Lights
. It has been described as "wholesome corn".
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
performed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the early 20th century.
History
The shows were about an hour in length but could be as short as 25 minutes, either way being well suited for traveling or road shows. They had lower costs and fewer logistical complications than major productions. To achieve this, producers typically eliminated much of the dialogue, plot and chorus of the parent, often Broadway production, reduced the scenery to a few flats and platforms that could be easily transported by rail or roadway, and retained only the hit numbers and the principal characters including the love interests and the chief comic. With this shortened format, tab shows did not usually serve as an entertainment form in themselves but were adjuncts for at least three other forms of major entertainment. First, they could be the featured act of the second half of a vaudevilleVaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
bill. The substitution of these shows for a portion of vaudeville acts in the early 1900s was described as "far-reaching in its scope" in a Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
article of 23 December 1911.
Second, they were often performed in conjunction with silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s for a half hour performance either before the film came on, or as a vaudeville act between films. Show Boat
Show Boat
Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working...
was one Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
hit that was reduced to a truncated tab show running in movie theaters in the early 1930s.
Third, tab shows were closely related to the early, non-stripper versions of burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
. The girls were 'clean' and did not have bare legs. By the 1920s, "tab show" was sometimes used to avoid the negative, low-brow connotations of "burlesque".
There are two suggestions for the origin of the word "tab". It is often said to be derived from "tabloid", as in the short form of a newspaper. Alternatively, it could refer to "tableau" as in the tab style of curtain across the front of a stage, since the curtain and a few pieces of furniture might be the only scenery used by a tab show.
As variations on these themes, tab shows occasionally were up to two hours in length and with their lower costs and fewer logistic demands, were a popular alternative to vaudeville acts in the 1910s. Also, while the term "tab show" may have been restricted to the United States, the theme of the vicissitudes of traveling third-rate vaudevillians was presented in 1950 in Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
's Italian film Variety Lights
Variety Lights
Variety Lights is a 1950 Italian film directed and produced by Federico Fellini and Alberto LattuadaThe film launched Fellini's directorial career, but was a collaboration with Alberto Lattuada...
. It has been described as "wholesome corn".