Lydia Thompson Queen Of Burlesque

This book is about Lydia Thompson, queen of burlesque. It is written by Kurt Ganzl and it is intended to restore her to her place in theater history. The book covers her life from her childhood to her death. It also covers her career as an actress and as a burlesque performer.

This inaugural volume in the new Forgotten Stars of the Musical Theatre series sets Lydia Thompson, queen of burlesque, under the spotlight. The book and the series will attempt to restore to their place in theatre history performers and writers who were famous in their era, yet who have since faded inexplicably from popular memory. We intend to resurrect their lives and legacies for the theatre enthusiast. Outlandish tales of Lydia's touring burlesque company, the British Blondes, and such lurid episodes as her horsewhipping of a Chicago editor, a romance with a Russian Grand Duke, and her lesbian attacker have left her with a reputation as a bawdy burlesquer, but Kurt Ganzl, who is also the series editor and one of the world's premier experts on musical theatre, argues that she was nothing of the kind. Sweet, gentle and loving, she was an electrifying actress, a peerless dancer, an accomplished comedienne and an enchanting singer, with a star quality that to this day has been rivaled only by a few performers. Through this biography, the reader learns the whole story of this multi-dimensional musical-theatre star. Review: This is a thorough biography, chronicling the life of an important though somewhat neglected figure and rich in data. It introduces valuable information about Thompson as well as a wealth of primary source material. -Elizabeth Reitz Mullenix, Theatre Journal The strength of this book is its detailed performance history, a history that makes clear that Thompson--far less blonde then [sic] she appears in legend--was no minor actress either before she crossed the Atlantic or after her American success. -Elizabeth Reitz Mullenix, Theatre Journal Thompson's story is told most completely here and might certainly compel the undergraduate student and theatre aficionado. -Elizabeth Reitz Mullenix, Theatre Journal An atmosphere of empathy and admiration penetrates Ganzl's depiction of this actress's career, from her boomtown days in a touring burlesque company ( British Blondes ) to her last performance as Duchess of Albuquerque in Ruy Blas's A Queen's Romance. -American Theater, July/August