Jennie Worrell ( - August , ) was a burlesque actress of the th
century from Cincinnati, Ohio. She was the youngest of three Worrell
sisters who appeared in Broadway productions from to .She was the
daughter of William Worrell, a circus clown. Her sisters were Irene
Worrell and Sophie Worrell. The sisters performed on stage as
children, singing and dancing their way to popularity in California
and Australia. In they came to New York City and gained possession of
a theatre on Broadway (Manhattan) opposite Waverly Place (Manhattan).
They called it the Worrell sisters' New York Theatre. They acted in a
musical burlesque followed by a production of Under the Gaslight () by
Augustin Daly. In the latter play the sisters depicted roles created
by Rose Eytinge, Blanche Grey, and Rose Skennett. Worrell was the best
actress of the three siblings. In the spring of she was in Nan the
Good For Nothing at Wood's Theatre. Previously the sisters performed
together at the same venue in Elves.THE WORRELL SISTERS: Jennie was
one of three notable sisters who came to fame in the s. Starting out
as childhood stars, the sisters, Jennie, Sophie, and Irene grew to
critical acclaim later in life by being the premier burlesque
performers of the time. The earliest of the burlesque shows put on by
the Sisters and other artists of the time had a sort of set list that
the artists followed with precision. This set list included, “an
opening with songs, then acrobats and even magicians, and finally a
burlesque done in the English or Victorian Style†(Hughes ). Whether
it was due to their father being a clown, or having to be stuck with
their two siblings their entire life, these talented sisters were
proficient entertainers. Their shows lasted about an hour and varied
in the way they were structured. Before the Worrell Sisters were
completely on the scene, the structure of a burlesque show was thus:
music, then acrobats, then a small parody skit. Once the girls were in
their prime however, the shows morphed into more skits and even
sometimes a full-blown parody of an entire play or musical. This would
include keeping the basic character archetype, and sometimes even
poking fun at it, and keeping music but changing lyrics to songs in
the score. The shows were hilarious and were even sometimes more
popular than the shows they were making fun of. They mocked the
musical conventions and the theatrical styles that the shows were
originally done in. In fact, the word "burlesque" originated from the
Italian burla, which meant mockery. Because of their successes with
multiple audiences, they rose to such acclaim that in later years they
were able to purchase their own theater right in New York City. Their
theater was called the Worrell Sisters’ New York City Theatre and it
hosted many burlesque shows of the time that the sisters sometimes
acted in themselves. They bought the theatre in . Their theatre was
home to not only famous burlesque and parody shows but also melodramas
such as Under the Gaslight that required a lot of dramatic and
realistic scenery. To keep up with the times, the Sisters tried to
keep their theater as up to date as possible. After their fame was
over, the oldest and most famous sister Jennie became destitute . Her
sisters separated themselves from her because of her degenerate
lifestyle and their theater was sold later becoming The Globe theatre
in and the New Theatre Comique in . The building became the Broadway
Athletic Club and was eventually demolished in , however no one could
contest its notoriety thanks to the Worrell trio (Playbill).Burlesque
became increasingly popular with the arrival of Lydia Thompson and her
British Blondes. This added to the appeal of the Worrell sisters.
Nevertheless, their business was not profitable and they gave up the
theatre in . It became the Broadway Athletic Club in later years.
century from Cincinnati, Ohio. She was the youngest of three Worrell
sisters who appeared in Broadway productions from to .She was the
daughter of William Worrell, a circus clown. Her sisters were Irene
Worrell and Sophie Worrell. The sisters performed on stage as
children, singing and dancing their way to popularity in California
and Australia. In they came to New York City and gained possession of
a theatre on Broadway (Manhattan) opposite Waverly Place (Manhattan).
They called it the Worrell sisters' New York Theatre. They acted in a
musical burlesque followed by a production of Under the Gaslight () by
Augustin Daly. In the latter play the sisters depicted roles created
by Rose Eytinge, Blanche Grey, and Rose Skennett. Worrell was the best
actress of the three siblings. In the spring of she was in Nan the
Good For Nothing at Wood's Theatre. Previously the sisters performed
together at the same venue in Elves.THE WORRELL SISTERS: Jennie was
one of three notable sisters who came to fame in the s. Starting out
as childhood stars, the sisters, Jennie, Sophie, and Irene grew to
critical acclaim later in life by being the premier burlesque
performers of the time. The earliest of the burlesque shows put on by
the Sisters and other artists of the time had a sort of set list that
the artists followed with precision. This set list included, “an
opening with songs, then acrobats and even magicians, and finally a
burlesque done in the English or Victorian Style†(Hughes ). Whether
it was due to their father being a clown, or having to be stuck with
their two siblings their entire life, these talented sisters were
proficient entertainers. Their shows lasted about an hour and varied
in the way they were structured. Before the Worrell Sisters were
completely on the scene, the structure of a burlesque show was thus:
music, then acrobats, then a small parody skit. Once the girls were in
their prime however, the shows morphed into more skits and even
sometimes a full-blown parody of an entire play or musical. This would
include keeping the basic character archetype, and sometimes even
poking fun at it, and keeping music but changing lyrics to songs in
the score. The shows were hilarious and were even sometimes more
popular than the shows they were making fun of. They mocked the
musical conventions and the theatrical styles that the shows were
originally done in. In fact, the word "burlesque" originated from the
Italian burla, which meant mockery. Because of their successes with
multiple audiences, they rose to such acclaim that in later years they
were able to purchase their own theater right in New York City. Their
theater was called the Worrell Sisters’ New York City Theatre and it
hosted many burlesque shows of the time that the sisters sometimes
acted in themselves. They bought the theatre in . Their theatre was
home to not only famous burlesque and parody shows but also melodramas
such as Under the Gaslight that required a lot of dramatic and
realistic scenery. To keep up with the times, the Sisters tried to
keep their theater as up to date as possible. After their fame was
over, the oldest and most famous sister Jennie became destitute . Her
sisters separated themselves from her because of her degenerate
lifestyle and their theater was sold later becoming The Globe theatre
in and the New Theatre Comique in . The building became the Broadway
Athletic Club and was eventually demolished in , however no one could
contest its notoriety thanks to the Worrell trio (Playbill).Burlesque
became increasingly popular with the arrival of Lydia Thompson and her
British Blondes. This added to the appeal of the Worrell sisters.
Nevertheless, their business was not profitable and they gave up the
theatre in . It became the Broadway Athletic Club in later years.
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