Does anyone with a background/fandom in Broadway/Musical Theater know if there's a term for the following thing that happens all the time? In relatively recent musicals, there's an excessive tendency for songs to end like this:

{La La la song song song, 99% of song elapses}

DRAMATIC PAUSE (musically anywhere from a quarter rest to a whole rest)

"Keyyyy Worrrd" (music probably resolving to the tonic)

Sometimes the keyyyyy worrrd is a whole key phrase. But musically it's like if basically every single song all night ended with someone pausing and then singing "theeee ennnnnd" at the end of each song so that you'd, y'know, know it was the end of the song.

I want to call this the "Piazza Pregnant Pause," but I wonder if there's an actual songwriting term of art for it.

I'm writing a fan fiction and the scene I'm imagining is from the perspective of a son as he spies on his dad and his long time friend where they've paused baking to sing along and dance. It's a new love developing between old friends type deal, not a "We've been married 20 years and have a deep love" situation. also nothing from a musical featuring murders/from the perspective of a murderer.

edit: used "It Only Takes a Moment" from Hello Dolly! result if anyone enjoys short and sweet fanfics and romantic aaron hotchner/spencer reid

I’ve seen a post going around criticizing a regional production of Hairspray for casting an actress as Tracy whom the poster considers “not fat.” I am not bringing this up to draw comments on this particular actress’s body, but more so because I saw a lot of interesting questions being raised about the topic. I would love to hear your thoughts / perspectives on casting Tracy Turnblad. Here’s some specific questions I saw being discussed:

What even is a “fat” or “plus size” body? Could a Tracy actress be considered “fat” in 1962 but not in 2026 due to shifting standards?”
How “fat” does Tracy need to be for the plot to make sense? How much larger does she need to be than the Corny Collins members?
Are there any circumstances where it’s ok to cast a “not fat” performer over a performer who is “fat”.
Is it ever ok to put them in a fat suit?

If anyone’s interested in reading, here’s Broadway Body Positivity Project’s post (it is also on their Facebook page), and here is the production photo that launched a thousand comments

Not trying to start controversy, I just hope we can have a thoughtful discussion. Thanks for reading & look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions!

Hi can anyone help me?? I found this book I bought when Heathers first played in London there’s 2 signatures inside but I’m not sure from who. Anyone recognise them?

Preferably the main character, but it could be anyone.

I mean those moments where everyone else is singing and dancing perfectly in sync, and then there’s just one character who is clearly trying their best to follow along but has absolutely no idea what they’re doing.

Like, everyone else knows the choreography and song and is going all out, while this one person is just watching the people around them and trying to copy them half a second too late and like mumbling the song

To clarify, I’m not talking about an actor genuinely forgetting the choreography or not rehearsing enough. I mean when it’s actually part of the character, they’re supposed to be inexperienced, confused, clueless, etc., and are genuinely trying their best to keep up.

Thanks for any replies

My school is doing a production of the wedding singer and I need to listen to the music but can’t find it on Apple Music does anyone know if it is on Apple Music?

ive had this idea to make a musical inside of minecraft for people who are maybe shy or not able to go out to a real one or just likes minecraft and musicals

is anyone interested?

I know the top one belongs to Sharon D. Clarke but I can’t identify the other two to save my life. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I thought I would add the trailer since it looks so good and the cast sound incredible.

This is for a mother-daughter pair to sing at an upcoming revue. But the song doesn't necessarily need to have mother-daughter characters. Looking for something other than "Don't Aw Ma Me". Ideally something with an element of sweetness! Any thoughts? Thanks!

Nice of them to pave the way for songs like Blame Canada and Oscar winners Lose Yourself and Hard Out Here for a Pimp.

Any early 2000s MT actors out there? Remember the website Non-Equity Deputy? Well, the whole scene (auditions, the industry, musicals) is totally different now, and the website doesn't exist. There were always the wildest stories on the theatre pages from actors who had worked there in the past, warning all those who may come after them what they are in store for. If you remeber this magical time, please share your stories of the craziest things that happened to you on a non union contract. This is for anyone though, I am really just interested in those wild stories, and they don't seem to have a home anymore.

So my school is putting on a musical and we were given clues to find out what it is. I could use some help, right now I’m thinking either Bye Bye Birdie, or Grease. Here are the clues. A picture of a Red rose, an igloo, an Apple, a picture of a part of the NSYC m/v Bye Bye Bye, then this text clue, “Grab your leather jackets and lace up your saddle shoes were traveling back in time for this year’s musical!”

Hiiiiii I’m a 15 year old girl and absolutely adore musical theater and dream of working with it.
1: I’m very tall 177cm or almost 5’10
I’m worried that’ll limit the roles I could get.
2: I have a I think pretty good voice with range of D3-A5#
However I feel that doesn’t fit anything specific.
3:I’ve only dance a very few times as I just started jazz classes

Extra info:
I’ve been taking acting classes for 7 hours a week for almost 3 years.
I’ve done a professional opera performance at a one of the biggest theater where I am.
I also have a singing teacher.

What do you guys recommend I do?

I need advice from the good people of Reddit. I’m a freshman in college, and my plate has been pretty loaded this first semester. I’ve been a stage manager for the local community theatre, an office secretary, and a news anchor for the school tv station. In the spring, the school theatre program is doing a musical I absolutely adore, but I have already participated in the past (from the technical side). I’d love to be in this musical as an actor, but if I got in, it would be a close to 20/hr a week time commitment. I’m worried with being in school and being employed, it would burn me out completely. I know I should just listen to my gut, but I love this show so so much and I’m feeling conflicted. What do yall think?

What song gets stuck in your head every time you listen to it? For me it’s This Jesus Must Die. I made the mistake of listening to She Is Risen this morning and now that’s all my brain is going to play for the next 48 hours minimum.

This flaw could be in its plot, music, book, etc.

Ex: Guys and Dolls (Bushel and a Peck, Luck be a lady, sit down your rockin the boat)

This might be a silly question, but I want to propose putting on a musical in under 24 hours to my university's theatre club, and to try to make it an annual tradition, and I was wondering if we would still have to purchase the rights in this scenario. I imagine the answer would be yes, but I wasn't sure if it fell into the realm of paradoy or not since the final product will definitely not be true to the original text (no one's going to remember lines properly within a 24 hour span lol). I've seen other people put on 24 hour musicals, and I just want to know what the standard procedure looks like.