“The show must go wrong” (show business adage)
"The show must go on" is a show business adage from the 1860s. "The show must go wrong" is a variation of the saying that became popular in the 2000s. "The Show Must Go…
“The tune that old cow died on must have been written in beef flat”
"Beef-flat" sounds like "B-flat." "'The tune that old cow died on,' must have been written in beef flat. -- Whitehall Times." was printed in the Record of…
“Theater is a verb before it is a noun, an act before it is a place”
"Theater is a verb before it is a noun, an act before it is a place" is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying is credited to American modern dancer and choreographer…
“Theatre is life, film is art, and television is furniture”
"Theatre is life, cinema/film is art, and television is furniture" is an aphorism frequently used in the entertainment world. The saying has been put on T-shirts since at least January…
“There are no small parts, only small actors” (theatre adage)
"There are no small parts, (there are) only small actors" is usually credited to theater director Constantin Stanislavski (1863-1938) of the Moscow Art Theatre. English citations of the…
“There are only three ages for women in Hollywood - Babe, District Attorney, and Driving Miss Daisy”
American actress Goldie Hawn said as the character "Elise" in the film The First Wives Club (1996): "There are only three ages for women in Hollywood -- Babe, District Attorney, and…
“There are only two kinds of music—good music and bad music”
"There are only two kinds of music -- good (music) and bad (music)" is a saying associated with Duke Ellington (1899-1974) and Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) -- two composers who died in New…
“There is a frog driving east and a trombonist walking west. What can be surmised from this?”
A trombonist joke has been cited in print since at least 1992: "There is a frog driving east and a trombonist walking west. What can be surmised from this? The frog's probably on its way…
“There is many a good tune played on an old fiddle” (proverb)
"There is many a good tune played on an old fiddle" is a proverb meaning that something (or someone) old can still perform. It's not known who originated the saying, but it has been…
“There ought to be more dancing”
"There ought to be more dancing" is a saying that has been printed on many posters. "There ought to be more dancing" was cited on Twitter on February 17, 2009.…
“There was laughter back of the theater, leading to the belief that somebody was telling jokes”
The playwright and drama critic George S. Kaufman (1889-1961) has been credited with saying this about an unsuccessful comedic play: "There was laughter in the back of the theater, leading to…
“There’s no such thing as a bad audition” (performing arts adage)
"There is no such thing as a bad audition" is an adage popular with actors, musicians and other performing artists. If an audition doesn't go well, it's a learning experience.…
“There’s nothing wrong with show business that good shows won’t cure”
Newspapers.com 3 May 1932, Daily News (New York, NY), "Behind the News" by Sidney Skolsky, pg. 34, col. 1:There's nothing wrong with the movies that money can't cure.…
“They asked if I could sing solo—so low they can’t hear me”
"Solo" sounds like "so low." "Perhaps I may more properly say, my hearers, that each of these stars sing a solo—so low (as my respected friend John Gossin would say,)…
“They asked if I could sing tenor—ten or twelve miles away”
"Tenor" sounds like "ten or." A joke was told on the comedy television series The Muppet Show on September 17, 1977: Statler : Can you sing tenor?Waldorf : What?Statler : Can…
“They laughed when I said I was going to be a comedian. They’re not laughing now”
British comedian Bob Monkhouse (1928-2003) is remembered for a classic line: “They all laughed when I said I'd become a comedian. Well, they're not laughing now.” It's not known…
“They say Jesus was a Carpenter, but you never see his name on any of their albums”
Jesus was a carpenter, but he was not a member of the American vocal and instrumental duo The Carpenters. "RT @Satans_Thong: They say Jesus was a carpenter. I can't recall him singing on…
“They’re playing our song” (romantic drama dialogue)
They're Playing Our Song is the title of a musical (book by Neil Simon, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, and music by Marvin Hamlisch) that opened on Broadway on February 11, 1979. However,…
“This next song is about subtraction. Take it away, boys”
"My next song is about subtraction. Take it away..." was posted on Twitter by sickipediabot on January 10, 2011. The joke originated on the Sickipedia website. "This next song is…
“Those who graduate with a theater degree and can’t find work suffer post dramatic stress disorder”
"It's not multiple personality disorder, it's a theatre degree!" (also given as "I don't have a multiple personality disorder. It's a theater degree" and…