Show stopper

A show stopper is a performance in a stage play , usually in a musical , after which the audience applauds so hard that the performance is interrupted. According to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), the term dates from 1926.

particularities

These performances are usually a song, but sometimes a dance. During the applause , which can also be a standing ovation , the performers have to bow repeatedly and sometimes give a dacapo afterwards . The showstopper must not disturb the flow of the plot so much that the audience can no longer concentrate. So it has to be in the right place in the performance.

A classic Broadway musical needs at least one show stopper. It's not exactly a quick or cheerful title. A musical increase towards the end encourages the audience reaction. However, it was often impossible to predict which piece would be the show stopper. To a not insignificant extent, this depends on the interpretation and is associated with the appearance of certain stars. Sometimes the star himself or an animal, who are regularly greeted with thunderous applause, is referred to as a show stopper.

In the opinion of director Arthur Laurents , show stoppers are not a dramaturgical problem in musical comedy , but have been a problem in musical play since the 1930s, which strives for continuous action.

Examples

Pathetic show stoppers

• " Ol 'Man River " from Show Boat (1927)
• " You'll Never Walk Alone " from Carousel (1945)
• "How am I supposed to love him" from Jesus Christ Superstar (1971)
• "What I did for Love" from A Chorus Line (1975)
• "I dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables (1980)
• " Memory " from Cats (1981)
• "I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls (1981)
• "I belong only to me" from Elisabeth (1992)
• “The winner has the choice” from Mamma Mia! (1999)
• "Somebody to Love" from We Will Rock You (2002)
• "Defying Gravity" from Wicked - The Witches of Oz (2003)

Cheerful show stoppers

• "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General" from The Pirates of Penzance (1879)
• "I got plenty o'nuttin" from Porgy and Bess (1936)
• " Tschaikowsky " from Lady in the Dark (1941)
• " There's No Business Like Show Business " from Annie Get Your Gun (1946)
• The theme song from Hello, Dolly! (1964)
• "I am the master of the house" from Les Misérables (1980)
• "I am what I am" (" I Am What I Am ") from La Cage aux Folles (1983)
• " Be a guest here " from Beauty and the Beast (1994)
• "My sense of style" from Aida (2000)
• "The Internet Is for Porn" from Avenue Q (2003)

Term in computer science

The term show stopper or show stopper bug is also used in hardware and software development. There it describes a program error that is so serious that it prevents the further development or use of a product. The word in this usage is a sarcasm : The show stopper is not an outstanding achievement that makes the show successful, but on the contrary a serious error, the correction of which is a prerequisite for the software to be usable.

Term in project management

The term showstopper is also frequently used in project management. Here, too, it is used sarcastically to denote serious problems during a process step within a project. Here, the process step cannot be completed and the schedule has to be adjusted, which often has serious consequences for the project.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Such an elephant in Kerry Argents children's book India the Showstopper , Melbourne: Allen & Unwin 2008.
2. ^ Arthur Laurents, Mainly on Directing: Gypsy, West Side Story, and Other Musicals , New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group 2009, p. 67. ISBN 978-0-307-27088-7