A monopolylogue is a form of entertainment in which one actor plays many characters.
Pioneered by English actor Charles Mathews and Albert Smith[1] and first used in 1824,[2] later used in Shakespearen performances by the performer Henry Kemble from 1846 to 1859.
[3] Matthews referred to the genre meaning where he would play "half a dozen characters",[4] and he would switch between characters through quickly changing costumes, ventriloquism, and "sharp differentiation of character".
[1] The genre is believed to had influence on the writings of Charles Dickens.
[4][1] The term and genre has been revived in the late 20th and early 21st century.