From the archives: All vaudeville all the time

This story was first published on Dec. 31, 2006, in the Montreal Gazette.
“VAUDEVILLE CRAZE: It has taken possession of the theatres.”
The Gazette, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 1896
The old year was almost out. It was a time for fun, and many Montrealers were flocking to the music hall – or its gussied-up cousin, vaudeville.
At the Theatre Royal on Côté St., The Gazette reported, Gus Hill’s New York Stars were “the best vaudeville attraction that has held the boar