Musical Theatre Glossary

Aria - a melodic style of singing; it usually conveys the singer's emotions

Book - the plot and the general spoken dialogue; often devised by someone other than the composer or lyricist

Broadway - the theatre district in New York

Chorus - a group of singers – male and/or female – in which several singers sing each of the melodic lines.

Company - the full cast of a show

Encore - literally, "again" in French; now used to describe the unplanned repetition of a number because of an audience's enthusiastic response

Foreshadowing - presenting a melody earlier in a show, but without the words for which it is best known

Interlude - a substantial portion of instrumental music played between sung portions

Intermission - a period of rest between acts of an opera or show in which the house lights are raised and the audience is free to move about.

Lyrics - the words/poetry to a song (usually rhyming)

Opening Night - the first 'official' performance of a show

Overture - a separate instrumental number played at the beginning of a show. In musical theatre, it is common for the overture to contain melodies from various songs in the show. The overture is generally a signal to the audience that the show is about to begin.

Preview - a dress rehearsal performed in front of an audience

Production Number - a song and/or dance section that features the whole cast (or a large portion of it)

Reprise - the return to an earlier musical number later in a show, often with modified text.

Review - a critic's written, published assessment of a show's strengths and weaknesses (usually published around opening night).

Set - the scenery, furniture and backdrops used on stage

Score - the written melodies / notes of music (created by a composer)

Show-Stopper - a number which is received so enthusiastically by the audience that their sustained applause "stops" the production for a period of time.

Touring Company - a group of singers (and often an orchestra) who travel and perform a musical in various cities.

West End - the theatre district in London

Word-Painting - a type of text expression, using music to "illustrate" a particular word or phrase. i.e. singing the word "loud" loudly