Is there any Legitimate Theatre still performed in Las Vegas hotels, or is it all Illegitimate now?
from Answerbag.com:
The term originates from the 1700s, when the British were heavily censoring their media. It was decided that only certain theaters would be allowed to perform "serious" shows, such as Shakespeare. Those theaters were called "legitimate theaters". Other theaters were only allowed to show plays that were considered low-brow, like comedies and musicals. Those were indeed called "illegitimate theaters".
Nowadays, the term technically refers to the same sort of distinction, although obviously without any laws backing it up. Legitimate theater productions are those that purely use natural character behavior to tell a story, rather than artificially entertaining the audience with unrealistic comedic occurrences, musical numbers, or even "melodrama".
The term "legitimate theater" is nevertheless sometimes used colloquially today (and some would say, incorrectly) to refer to any live theater production, as opposed to film or television.
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