Olio (musical number)
Encyclopedia
An olio is a Vaudeville
number, short dance or song performed as musical encore
after the performance of a dramatic play
. It can also be defined as a collection of various artistic or literary works or musical pieces used between acts in a burlesque
or minstrel show
. This was common on showboats in the 19th and early 20th century.
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
number, short dance or song performed as musical encore
Encore (concert)
An encore is an additional performance added to the end of a concert, from the French "encore", which means "again", "some more"; multiple encores are not uncommon. Encores originated spontaneously, when audiences would continue to applaud and demand additional performance from the artist after the...
after the performance of a dramatic play
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
. It can also be defined as a collection of various artistic or literary works or musical pieces used between acts in a burlesque
American burlesque
American Burlesque is a genre of variety show. Derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall and minstrel shows, burlesque shows in America became popular in the 1860s and evolved to feature ribald comedy and female striptease...
or minstrel show
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
. This was common on showboats in the 19th and early 20th century.