vaudeville

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

vaude·ville [vaudeville vaudevilles] BrE [ˈvɔːdəvɪl] NAmE [ˈvɔːdəvɪl] noun uncountable
1. (NAmE) = ↑variety
2. (BrE also ˈmusic hall)a type of entertainment popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including singing, dancing and comedy
See also: ↑music hall

Word Origin:
mid 18th cent.: from French, earlier vau de ville (or vire), said to be a name given originally to songs composed by Olivier Basselin, a 15th-cent. fuller born in Vau de Vire in Normandy.

Culture:
Vaudeville was especially popular in the US between the 1840s and 1930s. A typical vaudeville show included a variety of performers, including singers, dancers, comedians and sometimes animals. The best-known vaudeville theatre was the Palace in New York. US stars who began in vaudeville included Will Rogers, Al Jolson, the ↑Marx Brothers and W C ↑Fields. Compare ↑music hall.