A Revolution in Three Acts The Radical Vaudeville of Bert Williams, Eva Tanguay &Julian Eltinge by David Hajdu & John Carey Foreword by Michele Wallace

A Revolution in Three Acts The Radical Vaudeville of Bert Williams, Eva Tanguay &Julian Eltinge by David Hajdu & John Carey

Foreword by Michele Wallace is a new brilliant book by Columbia University Press. No, better: an incredibly delicious graphic novel exploring what it meant a tranformation of customs and performing in the USA at the beginning of the XXth century, where most people emigrated in cities with the desire, also, of assisting at new, exciting and elaborated shows.

Bert Williams, Eva Tanguay and Julian Eltinge were the first ones of a generation of performers: the advent of variety or the so-called Vaudeville, en francais was their art.

They were three different kind of persons: Bert Williams was black, so he experienced, as you will largely see a lot of racists problems; Julian Eltinge loved to perform wearing female clothes. He was gay and had a companion although he tried to keep silent his being homosexual with pictures and articles with always new girls, affirming he had had more than nine relationships.

Eva Tanguay was a provocative girl, with a great career.

Bert Williams became a great name and after the first years on stage he launched himself in several great productions. Discriminations didn't just touch him but also Jewish and italians.

Variety was pretty diversified and was for all tastes, after all. There was in fact a number of acrobats in it, you could find a comedian performing a monologue, there was space for classical music; whatever you wanted to see there was in a variety.

Bert Williams experienced a lot of problematics also inside his category; when there was a big strike for bettering the condition of workers at theather, Williams was not invited. Later someone called him but he didn't find a great atmosphere when arrived preferring to return home, discomforted. He died pretty soon. He was still in his 40s.

Eltinge at some point created a magazine dedicated to women; once appeared in all newsmagazines and magazines with this news: he would have married Eva: the story ended before the celebration of the marriage. 

Eltinge of all these three, was the latest one who participated at a silent movie. After some perplexities, launched himself in that career, different from the one of the variety, without any kind of success, but buying in the while a big house when in California, with mega-galactic ideas. He dilapited all his money. Some people, he died close to the stage, thinks that maybe killed himself. 

Eva lived till at 69 years dying in California, alone. 

Variety has been a real gym for these artists and many other ones.  

Let's remember Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (later Stanlio and Ollio) who at first started in the Vaudeville like Charlie Chaplin did.

Intense, well done! Captivating. Sad, happy, this book is a mixture of sentiments. I found it funny sometimes. Eva was funny, for sure! I really enjoyed reading it and I highly recommend it. Not only: being Christmas close, this one can be and it will be, a wonderful, wonderful gift for your friends in love for Broadway and acting!

I thank Columbia University Press for the physical copy of this book.

Anna Maria Polidori