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In Manchester in 1890 a court case was heard in which the singer Peggy Pryde was accused of singing an obscene song at the Folly Theatre of Varieties. The case provides a detailed examination of the arguments about the nature of music hall performance. Local newspapers reported the case in detail and this provides unparalleled evidence about the attitude of the authorities to specific performances, the nature of censorship and definitions of obscenity at this time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors undertook research in the British Newspaper Library into music hall performers in the early twentieth century magazine theRed Letter. The magazine uniquely gives details of various acts and the audiences' reaction to them. However, due to lax record-keeping on their part, it was necessary to return to the library, which accidentally led to the uncovering of much more information previously unknown, particularly in relation to the rise to prominence of Charlie Chaplin. The authors are now looking at producer Mike Craig's comedy archive, maintained at the University of Salford. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article addresses the dual topics of female comedians in early twentieth-century British music hall, and also the industry’s attempts to halt a decline brought about by the increasing popularity of cinema. In particular, it establishes that a great number of female performers were highly successful up to, and beyond, the First World War. The nature of the performance of three female comedians from this era – Marie Lloyd, Anna Dorothy and Millie Payne – is examined in detail, demonstrating that many female performers specialised in risqué material and the use of the ‘double entendre’. The trade journalThe Performeris also examined to explore how Variety performers viewed the threat of the ‘talkies’ and took action to try and curtail it. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The history of British Music Hall was one of continual fights against censorship. A dramatic test case centred around ‘La Milo’, who performed ‘pose plastiques’, where she modelled as living statuary in the mode of classical statues. This was part of a tradition which up to this point had been seen as highly disreputable. ‘La Milo’ was an Australian performer, Pansy Montague, whose act was interspersed with lighting sketches by her partner, ‘Cruickshank’. Despite criticism, she was supported by the famous crusading journalist, W H Stead, and her act was hugely successful, particularly at the London Pavilion in 1907. Having helped to change the portrayal of women’s bodies at the start of the twentieth century La Milo and her many imitators were superseded by more exotic dance acts by 1914. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article examines the representation of class, gender and 'race' in contemporaneous reports in the Red Letter magazine of the content of music hall acts, and the audience reaction to that content. Although research is still ongoing it seems to indicate that, contrary to the popular trope of 'women not being funny', female comic performers were widespread, at least before the First World War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]