‘Ain't Misbehavin'’ — WHAT IS A REVUE?

A revue is a topical show consisting of a series of scenes and episodes, usually having a central theme but not a dramatic plot, often with spoken verse and prose, sketches, songs, dances, ballet and specialty acts. Revues developed in France in the 19th century, and were taken up by other countries including Britain and the USA, and enjoyed their greatest acclaim and significance between the world wars. In a revue there are elements of other stage forms such as cabaret, variety show, vaudeville, pantomime, burlesque and musical comedy.

In the USA revue developed mostly from extravagant burlesques and vaudeville in New York during the late 19th century. John Brougham wrote one of the first, The Dramatic Review for 1868 (1869), a piece burlesquing the previous year's popular theatre, but the show was unsuccessful and prompted no imitations. The first popular revue came in 1894 with The Passing Show (music by Ludwig Englander), which, like Brougham's piece, was a satire on theatrical productions but which incorporated some topical songs in the style of Tin Pan Alley. Soon there were many revues on the New York stage. Those starring Joe Weber and Lew Fields (1896-1904) had vaudeville-like farce and pantomime, humorous songs, dances and more travesties on theatrical productions.

The real establishment of American revue came with the Follies of 1907, 'a musical review of the New York sensations of the past season'. Produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., it appropriated the name and style of France's Folies-Bergere, through the female chorus had to attract more by sheer beauty than mere nakedness. It became the first of an annual series of Ziegfeld Follies that became progressively more spectacular. Ziegfeld set the standard with very large casts, an emphasis on female glamour, grand costumes and sets, fast-paced scenes and star performers like Fanny Brice, W. C. Fields, Eddie Cantor and Marilyn Miller. The shows remained a leading form of American stage entertainment into the 1920's and produced many imitations; notably the Shubert brother's The Passing Show series from 1912, the Greenwich Village Follies from 1919, Irving Berlin's four Music Box Revues (1921-24) and the Earl Carroll Vanities from 1922.

The team of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart collaborated on a series of shows in which simplicity and economy replaced elaborateness of setting and costume. Smaller-scale, but still lavish revues were also given in rooftop theatres and nightclubs, notably the Cotton Club in Harlem. From the 1920's more serious, intimate revue came to the fore as lavish productions waned during the economic depression. In addition the departure of the leading composers for Hollywood hastened the decline of the genre, although giving opportunities to newer songwriters. After World War II revues were performed less frequently at large Broadway theatres. While the song-and-dance revue found new life on television, satirical intimate revue was fostered by repertory companies throughout the country in the 1960s. The productions more often favored improvised sketches and topical commentary on American society, abandoning complex choreography, and elaborate sets. The music increasingly used rock and electronic idioms.

Throughout the 1970's and 1980's revues became popular for looking back at music from the past. Along with Ain't Misbehavin', popular revues included Eubie!, the music of Eubie Blake, Sophisticated Ladies, the music of Duke Ellington, Berlin To Broadway with Kurt Weill, the music of Kurt Weill, Closer Than Ever, the music of Richard Maltby, Jr., (director of Ain't Misbehavin') and David Shire, and Tintypes, the music of the turn of the 19th century. Today on Broadway, revues include It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, Fosse, Smokey Joe's Café, Putting It Together, Swing!, and Tango Argentino.