An extravaganza is a literary or musical work (often musical theatre) usually containing elements of Victorian burlesque, and pantomime, in a spectacular production and characterized by freedom of style and structure. It sometimes also has elements of music hall, cabaret, circus, revue, variety, vaudeville and mime.[1]Extravaganza came, in the 20th century, to more broadly refer to an elaborate, spectacular, and expensive theatrical production.[2]
Professor Carolyn Wiliams writes that playwrights, producers and critics have often muddled the distinction between burlesque and extravaganza, but she describes the genre this way: "Sexy yet free of "offensive vulgarity", silly yet intelligent, raucus yet spectacularly beautiful, extravaganza was a relatively "high" form of burlesque, intended for an urbane adult audience."[3] She notes that the definition of extravaganza changed during the 19th century, in that a late century extravaganza had a "transformation scene", but earlier it focused on the sexy innuendo and fantasy, often involving fairies, and did not necessarily include a transformation scene.[3] 19th-century British dramatist, James Planché, who was known for his extravaganzas, defined the genre as "the whimsical treatment of a poetical subject."[4]
