Although burlesque has Victorian roots its great heyday was around the 1920s and 30s through to the 40s, when prohibition started to bite. In 1930 there were several hundred specialist burlesque houses in the US alone and many more around the world. There's no doubt that the genre had strong links with the German cabaret scene, which was peaking around the same time, and a strong influence on the development of modern musical theatre, but burlesque was and is unique.