vaudeville

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Stage entertainment offering a variety of short acts such as slapstick turns, song-and-dance routines, and juggling performances.
2. n. A theatrical performance of this kind; a variety show.
3. n. A light comic play that often includes songs, pantomime, and dances.
4. n. A popular, often satirical song.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The name given by Oliver Basselin, a French poet of the fifteenth century, to his convivial songs composed in the valley of the Vire, which became very popular throughout France.
2. n. Hence In modern French poetry, a light, gay song, frequently embodying a satire, consisting of several couplets with a refrain or burden, sung to a familiar air, and often introduced into theatrical pieces; a song popular with the common people, and sung about the streets; a ballad; a topical song.
3. n. A light kind of dramatic entertainment, combining pantomime with dialogue and songs, which obtained great popularity about the middle of the eighteenth century. At present any short, light piece, usually comic, with songs and dances intermingled with the dialogue, is called a vaudeville.

Wiktionary

1. n. historical, uncountable A style of multi-act theatrical entertainment which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s.
2. n. historical, countable An entertainment in this style.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A kind of song of a lively character, frequently embodying a satire on some person or event, sung to a familiar air in couplets with a refrain; a street song; a topical song.
2. n. A theatrical piece, usually a comedy, the dialogue of which is intermingled with light or satirical songs, set to familiar airs.
3. n. a variety show when performed live in a theater (see above).

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a variety show with songs and comic acts etc.