This book reprints and analyses reviews of music hall acts from the
family magazine The Red Letter, which was published by the Scottish
based firm D C Thomson from 1899 to 1987. The articles under review
range in date from 1902 to 1914, covering theatres all over Britain and
acts from around the world. The reviews are uniquely detailed and shed
light not only on the early acts of comics who would later go on to
achieve wider fame, such as Will Hay and Robb Wilton, but also reveal
the acts of long forgotten performers. These so-called 'wines and
spirits' acts-acts that would never top the bill but who nevertheless
toured the halls, sometimes for years on end, such as female
impersonator Albert Letine, comedy magician Chris van Bern and female
stand up Anna Dorothy amongst many others-deserve to be remembered every
bit as much as the top of the bill acts. The articles are arranged in
sections, covering race, gender, character comedy, physical comedy, male
comedy and specialty or 'spesh' acts. The reviews reveal not only the
contents of the acts but also the audience reactions to those acts and
prevailing contemporary Edwardian attitudes. The articles are
accompanied by their original illustrations, some of which are unique
and, like the articles themselves, unseen for over a century.