In the fall of 1956, our Ms. Perri headlined a “Paris After Dark” burlesque review – taking it off for those in the Empire Theater’s 1,000 seats bundled up from a windy, cold Newark, New Jersey night.
She was part of a series of traveling road shows that arrived in Newark every so often. And Ann rolled into Newark the week of October 12, 1956.
The weekly shows that appeared at the Empire were units of a touring circuit that played the Empire for one week, and then moved on to the next city in the circuit (or wheel).
Each weekly traveling show package included comics, strippers, chorus, scenery, and variety acts. All that the Empire Theatre management provided was the building.
Source: Nat Bodian – Burlesque at the Empire Theater
The Empire Theatre opened in 1912 at 265 Washington Street, at the corner of Branford Place, just one block in from Market Street … a beautiful theatre of about 1,000 seats and with a long balcony that brought upstairs patrons down close to the stage, and sat directly over the higher-paying customers in the downstairs orchestra seats.
It was a place, where for a very modest admission payment, a man could get his fill of girls, gags and music, in that order. Early admission prices, according to an old Empire play bill were as low as 30 cents.
The chief attraction, of course was the girls — both the strippers and dancing chorus line which showed as much of their bodies as the law permitted.
According to the playbill, Perri led off the evenings entertainment as an Act One act…
… and toured in the same circles as another popular stripper of the day, Georgia Southern.
And one more note about the Playbill…the picture of our Ms. Ann has been, well, ‘Photoshopped’ – or altered in the way of the day. The original (below) apparently was a little to much for public consumption…necessitating an apparent Magic Marker Makeover.
Ann Perri publicity photo
Date: Unknown Photographer: Gene Laverne
Ann Perri 