[goto11]

There is a kind of club I have only seen in American movies, but which I assume have a real-world basis: People mostly sit at tables, but there is an orchestra and an emcee, a glamorous singer and perhaps choreographed dancers with elaborate costumes. Does this still exist?

[treis]

Those are called big bands. These were popular in the 20s and up to the maybe 60s. It became cost prohibitive for a club to pay an entire 10-20 person band. Plus improving speaker & playback technology made it possible for smaller bands & DJs to provide the music.

[throwaway2245]

I would call this a jazz club (in the UK; even if it doesn't play jazz specifically).

[bitwize]

It sounds like you're describing a vaudeville theatre or musical revue. These were way, way more common before movies and television came to dominate American entertainment (and before the electric guitar and synthesizer allowed for "big sound" from a small band or single performer). They are enshrined in our movies because many of the biggest early American movie stars, like the Marx Brothers, crossed over from vaudeville. It's much less common today, but I'm sure some venues of this type exist somewhere. Similar forms can be found with more frequency:

1) Comedy clubs, where there is an emcee who introduces various comedians to perform their routines

2) Dinner theater, which typically features tables arranged around a central stage. Full meals are served, and a play (typically a musical) is performed while you eat and drink.

[lbotos]

The Backroom in NYC can feel like that at times, but it's not as large as the movie scene style that you are talking about:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+Back+Room/@40.718804,-...

They'd have a jazz band playing and often people (I assume guests) dancing but really dressed up.

[selimthegrim]

Dinner/supper clubs in the upper Midwest but without the orchestra (see: Fargo)