Word Study
variety show
CIDE DICTIONARY
variety show,
A stage entertainment, live or televised, of successive separate performances, usually songs, dances, acrobatic feats, dramatic sketches, exhibitions of trained animals, or any specialties. When performed live in a theater, it was often called a vaudeville show , but when television became a dominant form of entertainment live vaudeville performances almost completely ceased. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
For further exploring for "variety show" in Webster Dictionary Online