revue

revue, a stage presentation that originated in the early 19th cent. as a light, satirical commentary on current events. It was rapidly developed, particularly in England and the United States, into an amorphous musical entertainment, retaining a small amount of satire and partaking increasingly of the elements of vaudeville and the pageant. In the United States the revue—essentially an upscale vaudeville show—became noted for its extravagant staging and costumes and its display of showgirls. The best known of this type was the annual Follies (1907–c.1930) produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, which had as its chief rivals Earl Carroll's Vanities and George White's Scandals. Noël Coward was the pioneer of a more intimate revue-style in the interwar years. Elaborate showgirl revues and comedy acts, often of a satirical nature, are still popular in nightclubs and casinos.

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revue

Theatrical production of brief, loosely connected, often satirical skits, songs, and dances. Originally derived from the medieval French street fair, the modern revue dates from the early 19th century with the Parisian Folies Marigny and later at the Folies-Bergère. The English revue developed in two forms: one as the costume display and spectacle of the Court Theatre productions in the 1890s and another as the André Charlot Revues of the 1920s and the London Hippodrome shows, which emphasized clever repartee and topicality. In the U.S. the Ziegfeld Follies began in 1907 and usually featured a star personality. Revues appeared periodically on Broadway and West End stages until competition from movies and television moved the form to small nightclubs and improvisational theatres.

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revue (less commonly), review

a form of light entertainment consisting of a series of topical sketches, songs, dancing, comic turns, etc.