Once upon a time, during the age of empire, music halls and vaudeville houses thrived, lighting up the townscapes of almost every city. Two World Wars later, the empires had crumbled…and most of the theaters had fallen, too. Take a fond look back at these symbols of local and national pride, as well as the diehard survivors that were either converted to other uses or saved by activists. It’s an abundantly illustrated journey around the world.