The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

a theatrical production combining features of the operetta, ballet, cabaret, and variety theater. Although music was of minor importance in revues, musical numbers from them sometimes became popular. The revue influenced the development of a distinctive type of operetta, the revue operetta.

The revue originated in the 1830’s in Paris. Outside of France, revues were widely performed from the late 19th to the early 20th century in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Great Britain. European revues influenced the development of an American version of the genre, called a show. Revues are usually performed in music halls, a type of variety theater.