 Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era circa 1850 and lasting until 1960 . It involved a mixture of popular songs , comedy , speciality acts , and variety entertainment . The term is derived from a type of theatre or venue in which such entertainment took place . British music hall was similar to American vaudeville , featuring rousing songs and comic acts , while in the United Kingdom the term " vaudeville " ' referred to more working @-@ class types of entertainment that would have been termed " burlesque " in America . 
