Queen of Vaudeville: The Story of Eva Tanguay

"Nobody quite knew why she had become the most famous and popular live entertainer of her day," the Erdman notes about Eva Tanguay (1878%E2%80%931947). "They did not come to Eva looking for an astounding vocal range, gifted dancing, or impressive acting." Yet Tanguay, as Erdman t (Blue Vaudeville: Sex, Morals, and the Mass Marketing of Entertainment, 1895%E2%80%931915) makes very clear, was one of the most famous vaudeville performers in the world. Every knowable aspect of her biography is covered in impressively researched detail, from her performances as a child star in Holyoke, Mass., to her success as the "I Don't Care" Girl on the vaudeville stage. Erdman peeks into Tanguay's scandals (including the appearance of a niece who he's convinced is her illegitimate daughter), but also sketches enticingly the theatrical world around Tanguay. It's unfortunate that Erdman isn't a more supple writer: every new person who wanders into the book stops the narrative for a formulaic introductory paragraph, more). Though he argues for Tanguay as the independent feminist forebear of "talented iconoclastic women" like Madonna and Lady Gaga, he doesn't make a firm case, and readers will still not quite understand why Eva Tanguay enjoyed such popularity. 19 halftones. 19 b&w illus. (Sept.)