Windmill Theatre
Overview
The Windmill Theatre, later The Windmill International, was a variety
and revue theatre
in Great Windmill Street
, London
. The theatre was famous for its nude tableaux vivants
. Many prominent British comedians and comedy acts of the 1950s and 1960s started their careers working at this theatre.
Great Windmill Street took its name from a windmill that stood there from the reign of King Charles II
until the late 18th century. In 1909 a cinema, the Palais de Luxe, opened on the site.
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
and revue theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in Great Windmill Street
Great Windmill Street
Great Windmill Street is a thoroughfare running north-south in Soho, London, England. It is dissected by Shaftesbury Avenue. The street took its name from the windmill on the site which was first recorded 1585 and was demolished during the 1690s...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The theatre was famous for its nude tableaux vivants
Tableau vivant
Tableau vivant is French for "living picture." The term describes a striking group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models, carefully posed and often theatrically lit. Throughout the duration of the display, the people shown do not speak or move...
. Many prominent British comedians and comedy acts of the 1950s and 1960s started their careers working at this theatre.
Great Windmill Street took its name from a windmill that stood there from the reign of King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
until the late 18th century. In 1909 a cinema, the Palais de Luxe, opened on the site.
Unanswered Questions
