Broadwayite
A "Broadwayite" is someone who works on Broadway or who goes to Broadway shows. The term "Broadwayite" has been cited in print since at least 1863, but New York City's…
Brooklyn Country Music
The music group The Lone Bellow was born at Dizzy’s Diner in Park Slope, Brooklyn, in 2010. The group has called its sound "Brooklyn country music." "This is Brooklyn Country…
Brooklyn’s Carnegie Hall (Young Israel Beth El of Borough Park nickname)
Young Israel Beth El of Borough Park, Brooklyn, was built 1920-1923, in a Semitic style that combined Moorish ornament with Judaic motifs. "This sanctuary provided a fitting backdrop for the…
Canned Apple (Big Apple dance + Can-Can dance)
Brooklyn-born jazz singer and entertainer Adelaide Hall (1901-1993), with the help of Anita Lou Mason of Los Angeles, developed the "Canned Apple" dance, a hybrid of the American…
Casting Couch
A "casting couch" is a couch that a director or a producer uses to seduce actors or actresses who want acting parts in their productions. The term apparently started on Broadway in New…
CBGB & OMFUG
CBGB's -- a now-defunct music club at 315 Bowery, at Bleecker Street, in Manhattan -- was opened in 1974 by Hilly Kristal. The club was legendary for its punk rock period in the 1970s, when it…
Chookas (“good luck” in Australian theatre)
"Chookas" is an expression meaning "good luck" that is used in Australian theatre. The origin is unknown, but there are several theories. The first citations appear in the…
Chorine
Entry in progress -- BP Wiktionary: chorineNounchorine (plural chorines)1. A female chorus line dancer; a chorus girl. (Oxford English Dictionary)chorine, n.Etymology: < chor- (in chorus n.) +…
Chorine Court (West 47th Street, between Broadway and Sixth Avenue)
O. O. McIntyre (1884-1938) wrote the syndicated newspaper column "New York Day By Day." On June 12, 1924, he wrote about "Chorine Court," a block on West 47th Street between…
Chorus Girl
Entry in progress -- BP Wiktionary: chorus girl Alternative formschorus-girl, chorusgirlNounchorus girl (plural chorus girls)1. A female chorus line dancer.Synonymschorine (Oxford English…
Chorus Girl’s Breakfast or Whore’s Breakfast (cigarette and New York Morning Telegraph)
The New York (NY) Morning Telegraph used to be the Broadway Bible, and it was said that a "chorus girl's breakfast" consisted of the Morning Telegraph and a cigarette. The term…
Chorus Line
Entry in progress -- BP Wiktionary: chorus lineNounchorus line (plural chorus lines)1. A line of performers in a revue or other show, dancing in unison. (Oxford English Dictionary)chorus line n.…
Church of Rock and Roll (Fillmore East)
The Fillmore East was a rock and roll venue that was located on Second Avenue and East Sixth Street in Manhattan's East Village. From 1968-1971, the Fillmore East hosted memorable acts,…
Corpse (unintended and uncontrolled laughter on stage)
Wikipedia: Breaking characterIn theatre (especially in the illusionistic Western tradition), breaking character occurs when an actor ceases to maintain the illusion that they are identical with…
CSR (Complete Symphonic Recording)
There are several theater initials: OBC = Original Broadway Cast (1994; Urban Dictionary, 2006)OBCR = Original Broadway Cast Recording (1994; Urban Dictionary, 2005)OOBC = Original Off-Broadway…
Curtain Call
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Curtain callA curtain call (often known as a walkdown or a final bow) occurs at the end of a performance when one or more performers return to the stage to be…
Deadpan (Dead-pan)
"Dead pan" (also spelled "dead-pan" or "deadpan") is an emotionless (or "dead") face (or "pan"). The expression appears to have become popular in…
Death Drop or Deathdrop (dance move)
A "dip" dance move has also been called "Death drop" (or "Deathdrop"), "Shablam," "Shawam" (or "Shawham") and "5000." At the…
Dracula Bites the Big Apple (short film, 1979)
Dracula Bites the Big Apple (1979) is a short film (22 minutes), explained on IMDb as "Dracula travels to New York for a change of scenery." There is a scene at Studio 54 with owner Steve…
Dressed Resembling A Girl (“drag” backronym)
"Drag" is sometimes given the backronym (back acronym) of "DRess(ed) As a Girl" or "Dressed Resembling A Girl." The Oxford English Dictionary records "drag"…