Comedy is a tough business and getting a start in that business sometimes means taking gigs where the comic is nothing more than filler between the acts that everyone paid to see. Over the years, though, some of those “filler” acts have gone on to be pretty well known.  Eddie Cantor, Abbott and Costello, W. C. Fields, Jackie Gleason, Danny Thomas, Al Jolson, Bert Lahr, Phil Silvers, Sid Caesar, Danny Kaye, and Indiana’s own Red Skelton all spent some time trying to tell jokes to an audience that wasn’t especially keen on listening to them.

I know, it seems strange that some of the greatest names in 20th century comedy might have had such a rough start, but of all the places where one might do comedy, these giants all spent some time in what may be the most difficult entertainment position on the planet: between the feature acts of a burlesque show. Comics have a hard  enough time trying to get people to laugh, but trying to get people to laugh when really all they want is to see the girls strip, well, that’s just damn near impossible. Yet, comedy is a significant part of what burlesque is all about.

Burlesque began as a literary term in the 16th century, meaning an exaggerated imitation of something dignified or silly. The term then went on to music and finally ended up on stage, with the Victorian Burlesque shows making the term popular. It wasn’t until the genre migrated to the United States, though, that the female performers such as Sally Rand, Gypsy Rose Lee, Tempest Storm, Lili St. Cyr, Blaze Starr, Ann Corio and Margie Hart achieved fame and notoriety by stripping down to as little as a g-string and pasties. Acts would tour the country with comics, such as those listed above, taking up the time between girls.

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Of course, as with vaudeville and other forms of depression-era entertainment, burlesque was eventually replaced. The tease of the burlesque girls seemed almost passe compared to the nudity in films and the preponderance of strip clubs that popped up across the country. By the mid-1970s, it seemed as though the American styled burlesque was dead.

Then, an amazing thing happened. In 1996, Billie Madley’s “Cinema” opened in New York to rave reviews. Dutch Weismann’s Follies soon opened on 108th Street in Manhattan, and on the West coast, the Velvet Hammer troupe was formed in Los Angeles. The term “neo-burlesque” was given to the movement and, once again, the form took off, inspiring movies and Broadway shows alike.

Today, burlesque troops can be found performing in most every major city in America. Even Indianapolis, right smack in the heart of the conservative MidWest, brags of multiple troops, any number of which can be found performing on a Friday or Saturday night. Some include music acts, others comics, and some even dare to to both. Audiences yell and whistle at the pretty girls, but unlike depression-era burlesque, modern audiences often include couples and groups of single women. The burlesque audience has grown from just another way to see girls get (almost) naked to an appreciate of the form itself and the quality of its execution.

Make no mistake, the girls of neo-burlesque as just as attractive as ever, but these performers take their art form, and the development of their alter-egos, quite seriously. Girls spend large amounts of money on costumes and countless hours rehearing and refining their act. Actress and singer Carmen Electra has said, “I was performing in this burlesque group, and we would go to dance rehearsals every day. You’d use every part of your body. Even though some of it is slow, it takes a lot of muscle to be able to dip down and come back up.”  There’s not much “winging it” on a burlesque stage, either. Every move is timed and the choreography well-planned. Some troupes develop shows along specific themes and others even act out stories as they move from one act to another. Many burlesque performers come from art and stage backgrounds and understand that, more than just removing their clothes, they have a story to tell.

There are a lot of entertainment options in the world today, but burlesque is one of those touches of the past that somehow manages to be comforting and titillating and amusing all at the same time. Look for one playing near you. Oh, and pay attention to the comic if they have one. You may just be getting a first glance at genius.