vaudevillian

American  

[vawd-vil-yuhn, vohd-, vaw-duh-] / vɔdˈvɪl yən, voʊd-, ˌvɔ də- /

noun

1. Also vaudevillist. a person who writes for or performs in vaudeville.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of vaudeville.

Etymology

Origin of vaudevillian

First recorded in 1925–30; vaudeville + -ian

Example Sentences

The book by Jay Thompson, Marshall Barer and Dean Fuller, which infuses vaudevillian mirth into “The Princess and the Pea,” has been updated by Amy Sherman-Palladino to be more in keeping with contemporary sensitivities.

From Los Angeles Times

For one thing, the vaudevillian madness onstage — which juxtaposes twee songs with violent video, highbrow with Hollywood, the mundane with the alien — does not build on its political subject matter.

From New York Times

It’s a younger generation than the new vaudevillians like Bill Irwin and David Shiner, but this group has the same inventiveness, ambition and dedication to breathing new life into old shtick.

From New York Times

To generations of musical aficionados, Ms. Rivera was a whirling, bounding, high-kicking elemental force of the dance; a seductive singer of smoky ballads and sizzling jazz; and a propulsive actress of vaudevillian energy.

From New York Times

When Parkkinen wants to expand the class’ repertoire, he visits Los Angeles’ Central Library and peruses the performance section; recently he was inspired by exercises found in a 1920s book for vaudevillians.

From Seattle Times