minstrel show

American  

noun

1. a once popular type of stage show featuring comic dialogue, song, and dance in highly conventionalized patterns, performed by a troupe of actors traditionally comprising two end men, a chorus in blackface, and an interlocutor. Developed in the U.S. in the 19th century, this entertainment portrayed negative racial stereotypes and declined in popularity in the 20th century.

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minstrel show British  

noun

1. a theatrical entertainment consisting of songs, dances, comic turns, etc, performed by a troupe of actors wearing black face make-up

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Etymology

Origin of minstrel show

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Example Sentences

However, the banjo's creation eventually became a blending between West African and European traditions mostly due to minstrel shows in the 1800s.

From Salon

Redd’s father took him to see traveling minstrel shows when he was a boy, and he was particularly struck by the one-legged tap dancer Peg Leg Bates moving to the rhythm of a trap drummer.

From New York Times

The practice has a long, complicated history in theater, stretching from the medieval period to Shakespeare to American minstrel shows.

From Washington Post

According to Fields, the conflict between her and Staten festered after she questioned choreography evoking a minstrel show, which was not explicitly mentioned in the script.

From Washington Post

Abdurraqib reflects on Black performance in America through essays on television, music, film, minstrel shows and vaudeville.

From New York Times