Neil Burgess was born in Boston in 1846/51.[1][2][a] He started his unusual career at age 19 when called on to fill in for an ailing actress in The Quiet Family in Providence, Rhode Island.
Burgess debuted in New York as a solo artist in 1872 under producer Tony Pastor, when he was billed as an "Ethiopian Comedian".[1] His first role as a female impersonator came in 1877 in The Coming Woman for the Theatre Comique of Edward Harrigan and Tony Hart.[1] He was soon recognized as one of the leading female impersonators, successively playing women's parts in vaudeville. By the 1880s, he took several such roles in The Widow and the Elder, Betsey Bobbet: A Drama (later renamed Vim), and the County Fair.[4] His greatest success was Widow Bedott in 1879. He also produced and starred as Auntie Abigail Prue in Charles Barnard's play The County Fair in 1889. George C. Odell later reflected on these roles: "I still see him as Widow Bedott in the kitchen, making pies, straightening out the affairs of the neighborhood and personifying, in spite of his sex, the attributes of a managing woman. He was not the least bit effeminate, not at all like the usual female impersonator of minstrelsy or of variety, and yet he was Widow Bedott to the life, and with little suggestion of burlesque."[5]
Burgess was also interested in inventions tied to the stage and backed a turntable device that allowed horses to run at full speed on stage, and another device that simulated the sound of a large crowd.
He was married to actress Mary Stoddard. She died in 1905.[2]
He died at his home in New York City on February 19, 1910.[2]
neil, burgess, comedian, neil, burgess, 1846, 1910, american, vaudevillian, comedian, specialized, female, impersonation, elderly, widders, neil, burgessborn1846, 51boston, massachusettsdied, 1910, february, 1910new, york, yorkoccupationvaudeville, comediansig. Neil Burgess 1846 51 1910 was an American vaudevillian comedian who specialized in female impersonation of elderly widders Neil BurgessBorn1846 51Boston MassachusettsDied 1910 02 19 February 19 1910New York New YorkOccupationVaudeville comedianSignatureBiography editNeil Burgess was born in Boston in 1846 51 1 2 a He started his unusual career at age 19 when called on to fill in for an ailing actress in The Quiet Family in Providence Rhode Island Burgess debuted in New York as a solo artist in 1872 under producer Tony Pastor when he was billed as an Ethiopian Comedian 1 His first role as a female impersonator came in 1877 in The Coming Woman for the Theatre Comique of Edward Harrigan and Tony Hart 1 He was soon recognized as one of the leading female impersonators successively playing women s parts in vaudeville By the 1880s he took several such roles in The Widow and the Elder Betsey Bobbet A Drama later renamed Vim and the County Fair 4 His greatest success was Widow Bedott in 1879 He also produced and starred as Auntie Abigail Prue in Charles Barnard s play The County Fair in 1889 George C Odell later reflected on these roles I still see him as Widow Bedott in the kitchen making pies straightening out the affairs of the neighborhood and personifying in spite of his sex the attributes of a managing woman He was not the least bit effeminate not at all like the usual female impersonator of minstrelsy or of variety and yet he was Widow Bedott to the life and with little suggestion of burlesque 5 Burgess was also interested in inventions tied to the stage and backed a turntable device that allowed horses to run at full speed on stage and another device that simulated the sound of a large crowd He was married to actress Mary Stoddard She died in 1905 2 He died at his home in New York City on February 19 1910 2 Notes edit Some sources list his birth year as 1851 3 References edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Neil Burgess a b c Bordman Gerald and Thomas S Hischak The Oxford Companion to American Theatre New York Oxford University Press 2004 221 ISBN 0 19 516986 7 a b c Actor Neil Burgess Died Today The Boston Globe New York February 19 1910 p 3 Retrieved May 4 2021 via Newspapers com The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography Vol II James T White amp Company 1921 p 170 Retrieved May 4 2021 via Google Books Morris Linda A Gender Play in Mark Twain Cross Dressing and Transgression Columbia University of Missouri Press 2007 5 Morris Linda A Gender Play in Mark Twain Cross Dressing and Transgression Columbia University of Missouri Press 2007 5 6 nbsp This article about an American theatre actor born in the 1840s is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Neil Burgess comedian amp oldid 1220693597, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
