Opera on Tap hosts 'A Night of Irish Vaudeville' at the AIHS

Opera on Tap will host “A Night of Irish Vaudeville,” bringing together Irish and American music and culture for an evening of classic 19th-century fun.

Vaudeville was a form of variety theater that was extremely widespread in the United States in the late 19th century, remaining one of the most popular forms of entertainment until it was overtaken by film in the 1930s. Vaudeville shows included many types of performances, such as singing, dancing, comedy acts, and short plays.

Comedy acts often utilized ethnic stereotypes, with Irish people frequently targeted and characterized as disorderly drunks and defiant maids.

With the movement of Irish immigrants from the lower to middle and upper classes, as well as into the vaudeville industry, resistance to these stereotypes grew and the narrative began to shift. Shows were protested, such as the Russell Brothers’ act “The Irish Servant Girls,” which originated in the 1870s and featured the brothers in red wigs and dresses, flashing their underwear to the audience.

The “Irish Colleen” emerged as a counternarrative to the “Bridget” maid stereotype, characterizing Irish women as demure, beautiful, and self-sacrificing rather than masculine, ape-like, and disobedient.

Irish-Americans turned their hostile immigrant experience into comedy, and though vaudeville theater achieved social mobility.

Opera on Tap hopes to promote opera as a viable, living and progressive art form and to support the developing artists who continue to keep the art form alive.

The American Irish Historical Society

The American Irish Historical Society (AIHS) in New York is an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the history and culture of the Irish in America. Founded in 1897, it serves as a cultural and historical repository, offering resources, exhibits, and events that highlight the contributions of Irish Americans to the United States.

For more information on the AIHS and its upcoming events, visit AIHSNY.org.

Opera on Tap's  "A Night of Irish Vaudeville" tickets can be purchased here.

The event will take place on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 7.30pm. The AHIS is located at 991 Fifth Avenue, NY 10028.