Charleston Mad

This chapter investigates how the revue became all the rage in the 1910s. At this time, the London Hippodrome specialized in showing big variety shows. Joy-Land! (1915) was typical of this type of show, each number calling up gala visuals and gigantic ensembles. In the 1920s, Charles B. Cochran reinvented revue as a small but arty performance. It became sophisticated in not only its material but its fizzy performing talent. In the 1910s, however, size mattered as well as the emerging American style. The furor for the American sound, stimulated by local dance bands adopting the American style, led producers to hire American songwriters. The chapter looks at titles such as The Cabaret Girl (1922), The Maid Of the Mountains (1917), Chu Chin Chow (1916), and The Bing Boys Are Here (1916). The chapter also studies Mister Cinders (1929), which became the most vital British musical of this era.