Revue

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɹəˈvjuː/

Definitions

1. A theatrical show consisting of short sketches, songs, and dances, often satirizing current events or popular culture
2. A type of performance that features a variety of acts including songs, sketches, and dances, usually reflecting social commentary or humor
3. This form of entertainment combines comedic sketches, music, and dance routines, often addressing contemporary issues or trends

Etymology: The word "revue" arrived in English as a theatrical term, but it started life as a plain synonym for "review" in the sense of a survey or inspection. French "revue" meant a review, and in English "review" once carried the military sense of an official inspection of troops, which is the older thread running behind the stage meaning. Over time French and English took different paths with the same root, and the French sense of a periodic look-over of something came to describe a lively entertainment that surveyed the events of the day. The French word passed into English as a borrowing, and it took over several of the senses that "review" had held, so the two now sit side by side as doublets. Where "review" kept its everyday meanings of looking again at something or assessing a book or play, "revue" specialized in the stage show: a light entertainment built from sketches, songs and dances, often satirizing current events. The split is a neat illustration of how one root can yield two words that drift apart.

Synonyms: show, performance, review, spectacle, musical