Variety
The ancestors of the cabaret were folk singers who went from cafe to cafe in the 1850s, and who also received permission to perform farces from 1865 onwards. The orpheums, which replaced musical cafes, also featured varied programs. In the year of the Millennium, the first home of Hungarian cabaret opened in City Park, the Olympia. The two most prestigious cabaret theaters were the Moulin Rouge at Nagymező street 17, and Arizona at Nagymező street 20. Between 1945-1950, the Népvarieté, Vidám Varieté, Fővárosi Varieté, Kisvarieté, Budapesti Varieté and Royal Revü Varieté operating as artist cabarets with mixed programs.
What is vaudeville?
A variety show, a musical, dance, and entertainment program, is part of urban life. It's a transition between circus and cabaret. The acts are extremely diverse, as the name "variety" itself suggests.
The permanent cast of the variety show
- the magicians,
- the acrobats,
- the dancers and
- the singers.
In variety theaters with large stages, singers and solo dancers often perform revue numbers with a large chorus of dancers.
Famous Hungarian Variety Theaters
Budapest Variety
(1954–1959): Operated in a renovated space at Józsefvárosi Színház, Kálvária tér 6, from March 1954 to February 1959. Managed by the National Circus Company, it presented spectacular cabaret-variety shows. The National Circus Company's director, Iván Szenes, and director Béla Karádi played a significant role in its success. The cream of cabaret actors performed in the Budapest Varieté's shows.
Arizona Variety
(1932–1944): A cabaret that only showed revue programs opened on December 16, 1932, at 20 Nagymező Street. The owner, composer and conductor Sándor Rozsnyai, and his wife, dancer Miss Arizona (Mariska Senger, or Mici Sugár), traveled the world for years until they had saved enough capital to purchase the small venue. The furnishings were lavish. The walls were covered in colorful wallpaper that changed color with lighting effects. There was a revolving dance floor in the center, and the boxes around the dance floor could be raised or lowered with the push of a button. The unseen attractions in the basement included the engine room, the kitchen staffed by 15 people, and the dressing rooms furnished with perfect comfort. They worked with incredible diligence and expertise, sometimes rehearsing a show for six weeks. Mrs. Rozsnyai designed the costumes, Eric Vogel designed the sets, and Rozsnyai was the ingenious technician and director. Tibor Benedek and Laboch Gerard emerged as singers at Arizona. They had a show that ran for a year. The Pipacs Salon, where Béla Berkes and his orchestra played, belonged to the cabaret. The cabaret's last performance was held on December 16, 1944. The Rozsnyais became victims of fascism. – Ed. Rátonyi R.: Mulató a Nagymező utcában (1987); Gundel I.–Harmath J.: A vendéglátás emlékei (1979).
Gallery Variety
(1939–1951; 1954–1978). It was founded in 1939 in the place of the Terézkörúti Színpad by György Sallay, who led the institution until its nationalization in 1949. Béla Karádi then became the theater's director. In 1951, it continued its operation under the name Artista Varieté. In 1954, it regained its original name. It retained its cabaret-variety character, built on artist performances, until 1977. From 1978, the Játékszín took its place.
Maxim Variety
Maxim Varieté opened in 1972 and closed its doors in 1994. It did not fit into the political, social, and economic situation of the time, yet it operated, much to the delight of the few privileged who were part of it. Within the Iron Curtain, it was the only variety show that entertained with revue shows, radiating wealth, elegance, luxury, and joie de vivre. Internationally renowned artists, famous performers, singers, dancers, choreographers, costume designers, caterers, and last but not least, technical experts, were the names associated with the successes of that era, who were extraordinary participants in this short but special period. It is no secret that the “spirit of the place” also captivated the artistic, political, underworld, and law enforcement elite of the time.
Every day, 200 guests could watch the internationally acclaimed variety shows from comfortable armchairs in the amphitheater-like auditorium of the Maxim Varieté. The lighting equipment imported from London, the West German sound system, and the revolving stage manufactured in Hungary provided the technical conditions. Travel agencies ensured that tourists visiting Hungary from all over the world could get to know Budapest's nightlife through the Maxim Varieté.
The pinnacle of French variety: the Moulin Rouge
Who wouldn't know, at least by repute, the Parisian cabaret, the Moulin Rouge? We can discover all the trappings of the classic world of variety shows with just a few glimpses at pictures of the Moulin Rouge.
The stage design of a variety show
The stage design of a variety show conjures up glamour, lights, and a colorful world before the viewer. The visual elements are monumental, vivid, and novel. The sets and costumes exude grandeur, sparkle, and cosmopolitan life.
Variety posters
Here is the famous French cabaret poster from 1970:
The variety and the clothes
Breathtaking costumes are part of the dazzling world of entertainment. How does a plan come to life? Here are variety show costumes dreamed up on paper, brought to reality:
Hard work behind the scenes
The performers in a variety show practice hard for the perfect spectacle. It's no different for the dancers at the Moulin Rouge. Rehearsals in Melbourne:
Varieté and Gastronomy
Moulin Rouge dancers and the chef have a good relationship – because the connection between the arts and gastronomy is paramount in the world of variety!
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