Shawham or Shawam (dance move)
A "dip" dance move has also been called "Death drop" (or "Deathdrop"), "Shablam," "Shawam" (or "Shawham") and "5000." At the…
Showgirl (Show Girl)
Entry in progress -- BP Wikipedia: ShowgirlA showgirl is a female dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show intended to showcase the performer's physical attributes, typically by way…
Showmance (show + romance)
"Showmance" is a portmanteau of the words "show" and "romance." For example, if the two leads of William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet fall in love in real…
Showstopper or Show-stopper (“stop the show”)
A Broadway "showstopper" (or "show-stopper") is a performance that generates so much applause that it literally "stops the show." The term was used in vaudeville in…
Sitzprobe (sitting rehearsal)
Entry in progress -- BP Wikipedia: SitzprobeIn opera and musical theatre, a sitzprobe (from the German for seated rehearsal) is a rehearsal where the singers sing with the orchestra, focusing…
Sock Hop (Sox Hop)
A "sock hop" (or "sox hop") is where the dancers take off their shoes and dance in their socks. This preserves both shoes and the dance floor. "Sock hop" dances were…
SRO (Standing Room Only)
"SRO" first meant "standing room only," in the 1890s. Later, in the 1930s and 1940s, "SRO" was used to mean "single room occupancy." Both meanings of…
Stage Mother
A "stage mother" is the mother of a stage performer -- usually a daughter. The stereotypical stage mother does everything to make her child a star. A classic description is of the mothers…
Stand and Deliver (singing with limited theatrical movement)
"Park and bark" refers to when a singer -- especially in an opera -- parks in a certain place and barks out the music. Modern performances try to eliminate "park-and-bark" by…
Stooge
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: StoogeA stooge or stooges may refer to:. Straight man (stock character), a comedian who feeds lines to another. Shill, a confederate or performer who acts as if…
Straw-Hat Circuit
The "straw-hat circuit" (or "straw hat circuit") is summer stock theatre. The name comes from the straw hats that people wear in the summertime. Hollywood and Broadway actors…
Summer Stock
"Summer stock" are stage productions that are performed during the summer. Many New York actors have practiced their craft in the small cities that host summer stock productions.…
Susie-Q or Suzie-Q or Suzy-Q (dance)
"Susie-Q" (also spelled ""Suzie-Q"and "Suzy-Q") began in 1936 as a dance, then became the title of a 1936 song ("Doin' the Suzie Q")by hardin…
Take-Home Tune
Bursting with SongA Broadway Glossary(...)Take-Home Tune: A very memorable, "hummable" tune that audiences remember well after they've left the theatre. Classic writers of take-home…
Tank Town (small town)
Performing professionals in a big city like New York often also gave performances at "tank towns." A "tank town" (or "water tank town") was a town that had, as its…
Ten O’Clock Number (10 O’Clock Number)
An "11 o'clock number/song" -- also called a "10 o'clock number/song" -- is a showstopper, usually sung by a musical's star as the second-to-last song in the…
That Play (name used to avoid “Macbeth” curse)
William Shakespeare's play Macbeth includes witches, and theater tradition has it that the play is cursed. Saying the play's name or its lines (outside of an actual performance) is said…
The Bard’s Play (name used to avoid “Macbeth’ curse)
William Shakespeare's play Macbeth includes witches, and theater tradition has it that the play is cursed. Saying the play's name or its lines (outside of an actual performance) is said…
The Big Apple Bash (Jay McShann album, 1979)
Jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader Jay McShann (1916-2006) released the album The Big Apple Bash (1979). It was recorded at the Atlantic Recording Studios in New York City. Wikipedia:…
The Caledonian Tragedy (name used to avoid the “Macbeth” curse)
William Shakespeare's play Macbeth includes witches, and theater tradition has it that the play is cursed. Saying the play's name or its lines (outside of an actual performance) is said…