 The broad comedic stylings of the minstrel shows helped develop the vaudeville shows of the late 1800s to the early 1900s.With this shift, the "wench players" became "prima donnas", and became more elegant and refined, while still retaining their comedic elements.While the "wenches" were purely American creations, the "prima donnas" were inspired by both America and European cross-dressing shows, like Shakespearean actors and castrati.