Putting On a Show for the Troops
Boys Will Be Boys
When putting on amateur plays and revues, soldiers had one little problem : there were no ladies to play the female parts. It seems that military authorities did not consider it proper for ladies to be around the troops in dressing rooms or dimly lit improvised theaters. Also there was the added problem of bringing ladies into POW camps, where a great deal of amateur theatricals were put on to relieve the boredom of prison life.
But there's always a solution to a problem, even if it's the age-old expedient of having men play the female roles. As we can see in the following collection of drawings and photos, there were many quite talented female impersonators among the troops and their talent was much appreciated, not only in a bawdy manner. Many of the photographs come from officially approved war photographs that were distributed among the news agencies for publication in news magazines. The captions also make clear that far from being stigmatized or looked at askance, a good looking female impersonator was much appreciated.
And on the other hand if the female likeness was far from perfect, an obviously made-up fellow was always good for a laugh and some clowning around.
* for an excellent general article on music hall entertainment visit this web site : Great War and Comedy
French and English POWs put on an amateur theatrical.
From the French news weekly L'Illustration.
'The heros having fun. Just back from Douaumont at Verdun, two colonials from a Moroccan regiment ..... are dressed up as Mayor and wife to welcome the victorious troops.'
French troops fooling around. Perhaps they are playing at a mock wedding ?
British troops being entertained by a female impersonator.
