Line #21 Main/ShowStopper


1	A performance or performer that evokes so much applause from the audience that the show is temporarily interrupted.
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3	For obvious reasons, this is primarily a theater and live performance trope, as static audiences can't exactly rise up and give a standing ovation in a movie theater. It can still be parodied in that context, though, as pretty much everyone knows the basic idea behind a show stopper. Indeed, such meta-awareness dates to early 20th century film, if not earlier -- it's an essential part of the live performance genre. Sometimes the script might actually call for the actors to nod toward the fourth wall in thanks.
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5	A sillier variation, often enforced by a LaughTrack, is where a single character, simply by appearing on the stage, evokes such thunderous applause from the audience that everyone has to take a break before any lines can actually be said. Note that in original theater this was still part of the point. Back then it was called a clap trap -- a part of a play or a musical performance designed to evoke applause, with a pause in the action to accommodate it. Since then, the phrase has been used to mean nonsense.
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7	This is the supertrope to EpicRocking.
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9	----
10	!!Examples:
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14	[[folder:Advertising]]
15	* Parodied in a commercial for ''The Radio/OpieAndAnthony Show'', with Jim Norton making the big entrance.
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18	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
19	* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', where the Genie's performance of "Friend Like Me" ends with him [[BreakingTheFourthWall displaying a small "Applause" sign]] (and Abu and the Carpet enthusiastically obeying). WordOfGod is that this was done because those filmmakers wanted the audience to applaud as well.
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22	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
23	* ''Film/AustinPowers'' does it all the time. After doing or saying something cool, Austin turns to the audience and says, ''"Oh, thank you,"'' in reply to the applause he expects.
24	* Lampshaded in ''Literature/ForeverAmber'' when the actors pause to acknowledge the entrance of King Charles II.
25	* "The Parson's Bride" segment of 1936's ''Theatre/ShowBoat'', in which all the actors acknowledge the audience at their entrances ''and'' exits.
26	* The ''Film/{{Descendants}}'' song "Evil Like Me" by Creator/KristinChenoweth has Kristin unleashing all of the [[LargeHam hamminess]] that she has in her body in a song that features tap-dancing, staff twirling and flying. Of course, ''everything'' that Kristin Chenoweth is in is probably a show stopper.
27	* In ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' there is a pause after Darth Vader says LukeIAmYourFather. This was done so that the audience could react but not miss Luke's response.
28	* In Creator/TheMarxBrothers' films ''Film/ANightAtTheOpera'' and ''Film/ADayAtTheRaces1937'' there are points after punchlines where everyone just kind of stops for a few seconds. That's because those scenes had been honed exhaustively in front of live audiences before filming, so they'd know '''exactly''' how long to pause for big laughs before continuing.
29	* According to [[spoiler: Charlie Cox]], when filming his scene for ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', he was directed to take a longer than normal beat during his dialogue, due to a (correct) prediction of a wild audience reaction at the reveal of [[spoiler: Matt Murdock]].
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32	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
33	* ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'':
34	** Being performed in front of live audiences, often relies on at least one sketch being this in each performance. There's also a special game called "Show Stopping Number", which parodies this trope. Although the most epic one was probably Creator/SidCaesar's guest appearance. Or Richard Simmons'.
35	** One game of "Superheroes" had Wayne Brady as "Show-Stopping Number Boy".
36	* Kramer on ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}''. They actually had to ask the audience to tone down the clapping, because it was ruining the show's pacing.
37	* In ''Series/HomeImprovement'', every time a funny is made, the ReactionShot of (usually) a confused Tim lasts for several seconds before the laughter dies down.
38	* Jazz from ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' also had this effect when he'd [[DropInCharacter drop in to the Banks' house]], ironically more so after he started appearing less.
39	* ''Series/RedDwarf'' has the line-delayed-by-laughter version: the [[ShapeShifting Polymorph]] takes the form of Lister's boxer shorts, which start shrinking after he puts them on. Kryten (who has a vacuum cleaner attachment plugged into his groin socket) is [[NotWhatItLooksLike desperately trying to remove them]] when Rimmer walks in. There's a very long pause before Rimmer makes a comment, because Chris Barrie had to wait for the audience's laughter to subside enough to be heard.
40	-->'''Rimmer:''' ''[eventually]'' [[DeadpanSnarker Well I can't say I'm]] ''[[DeadpanSnarker totally]]'' [[DeadpanSnarker shocked.]]
41	* Parodied in a sketch on ''Series/TheCarolBurnettShow'' where she and Harvey Korman played famous stage actors. They would enter the [[ShowWithinAShow scene within the scene]] and get tons of applause, which would always stop as soon as they acknowledged it and started to bow, creating many uncomfortable pauses.
42	* In later seasons of ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'', the entrance of nearly any major character was met with cheers and hoots from the studio audience, forcing the cast to pause for a second before continuing the scene.
43	* In a segment of ''Series/TheChasersWarOnEverything'', Chas "tests" whether botox/fake-tans/dyed-hair will increase his attractiveness (or rather, make him hot like Daniel Craig). He does this to only one half of his body and face, leaving the other half untouched. The utter ridiculousness of his appearance leads to continued laughter from the studio audience even when Andrew attempts to move on to the next segment of the show, eventually causing Andrew to start laughing as well and have to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDkdkQpsvSA restart the segment's introduction.]]
44	* The three-part Franchise/DisneyChannelLiveActionUniverse {{crossover}} ''[[Series/ThatsSoRaven That's So]] [[Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody Suite Life of]] Series/HannahMontana'' has applause play whenever a character entered another's show.
45	%%* Johnny Carson's appearance on ''Series/TheLateShow with Creator/DavidLetterman''.
46	* During his Season 2 guest run on ''Series/{{Friends}}'', Creator/TomSelleck garnered such an endless ovation every time on set that they wound up shooting his scenes without an audience just so they could actually finish filming the episodes.
47	* ''Series/HappyDays'':
48	** The Fonz, once his character became the focus of the show. At one point, it becomes clear to the viewer that the directors had to start allotting time for the audience reaction once Henry Winkler came on stage, as other actors in the scene would have to waiting for the cheers to quiet down before continuing the scene.
49	** In the episode where John Hart appears as Series/TheLoneRanger the audience cheers for several seconds while Fonzie looks on, stunned. The Lone Ranger was Fonzie's childhood idol.
50	* ''Series/FamilyMatters'': Similarly to the Fonz on ''Series/HappyDays'', Steve Urkel started to evoke this reaction as the character became more popular. Much the same way as it was with ''Happy Days'', Jaleel White's character was so popular and the ovation so great that others in a given scene would wait for the audience cheers to subside before continuing.
51	* Since the ''Series/DoctorWho'' 50th anniversary special "[[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor The Day of the Doctor]]" was shown in theatres on its premiere night, editors included a 43-second pause after Creator/TomBaker's first line to allow for live crowd reaction to his series return.
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54	[[folder:Music]]
55	* Halfway through the song "Kelvinside Man" by Victor and Barry (Creator/AlanCumming and Forbes Masson) is the line "We're known as local thespians. Some of our best friends are less [[SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion well known than us]]". In a performance recorded as part of an Edinburgh Fringe documentary, the audience completely collapse at this point. The performers (who were clearly expecting this, although their characters weren't) stop dead and after several minutes Victor glares at the audience and demands "You finished?"
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58	[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
59	* One time on ''Wrestling/WWESmackDown'', when Wrestling/HulkHogan returned to Wrestling/{{WWE}}, his applause lasted a TV segment (approximately 15 minutes). When they came back from commercial, the crowd was still applauding -- but since it wasn't broadcast live, it could have been only a short time after they "went to break" that they stopped. (Or conversely, it could have gone on for even longer.)
60	** Years earlier, in 1984, shortly after he won the WWF World Championship, prior to a match at the Philadelphia Spectrum against the Masked Superstar, the ovation for Hogan was so great that the backstage production had to restart his then-theme music, Survivor's "Eye Of the Tiger" from the beginning, and it played halfway through again before the ring announcer could begin introducing the wrestlers.
61	* The inverse happened on the October 1st, 2018, episode of ''Wrestling/WWERaw'' in Seattle. During a segment with {{Wrestling/Elias}} and Wrestling/KevinOwens, KO comments about John Cena teaming with Bobby Lashley. Elias replies with "Kev, it doesn't make sense, you know? It's like having a [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation basketball team in Seattle!]]" [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XigdA6kiLcE Cue a ROAR of boos]] that stopped their segment for almost a full minute, and even when they tried to continue, the crowd let them have it for another two and a half!
62	* Wrestling/RoddyPiper, virtually with every appearance he made during his 1986-1987 face run, especially at Madison Square Garden and the Philadelphia Spectrum.
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65	[[folder:Radio]]
66	* ''Radio/ImSorryIHaventAClue'': "It's now time to play the game called Mornington Crescent."
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69	[[folder:Theater]]
70	* In stage musicals, a powerful enough song can generally be considered a showstopper -- "Defying Gravity" from ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'' is one such example, and "One Day More" from ''Theatre/LesMiserables" is another.
71	* In opera, in addition to songs, single notes can be showstoppers. One prime example is the second act of ''Theatre/{{Tosca}}'', which has one showstopping aria (Vissi d'arte) quickly followed by Cavaradossi's famous outcry of [[IncrediblyLongNote "Vittoria! Vittoria!".]] If done well, the audience will cry "Bravo!" at this point and interrupt the show.
72	* Two in ''Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix'':
73	** "The Lees of Old Virginia" is deliberately written to be as '''big''' and [[LargeHam hammy]] as possible to carry the audience through the next half-hour, which is devoid of songs.
74	** "Molasses to Rum" is a much darker version that has Edward Rutledge damning the North by acting out a slave auction, to which slaves have been brought by New England ships. He only stops when a Northern man begs for mercy, and the whole Congress is left stunned and silent.
75	* On ''Theatre/{{Beetlejuice}}'s'' first night back on Broadway in 2022, Alex Brightman literally could not get two words out before the audience erupted into applause.
76	* ''Theatre/TheLionKing'' musical has the songs "Circle Of Life" and "He Lives In You".
77	* In ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'':
78	** During the show's 2016 Grammys performance, they deliberately added in several extra lines of silence after Creator/LinManuelMiranda first sings the line "Alexander Hamilton" to account for the applause, but the applause was so strong that the next line ("My name is Alexander Hamilton") was still drowned out anyway. Compare this to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNFf7nMIGnE the first performance]] of the song, back in 2009 at the White House, where the same line also created a strong response from the audience -- but of confused laughter. How things have changed!
79	** Similarly, at the beginning of "Yorktown/The World Turned Upside Down", a few bars were added after the line "Immigrants, we get the job done" to account for the cheering of the audience. Again, the next line was still drowned out by the audience.
80	* ''Theatre/InTheHeights''. At the realization that Benny and Nina have consummated their relationship (she comes out to join him on his fire escape wearing [[SexyShirtSwitch his shirt]]), the audience claps and cheers--in one instance, the actors had to start their dialogue over, as they'd been drowned out.
81	* While a fairly common practice in Tony Awards shows, the opening number in the 2013 show, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SQfsBsMFls "Bigger"]], pulled out all the stops. Performed by Creator/NeilPatrickHarris with lyrics by Creator/LinManuelMiranda, it featured performers from all the major shows of the season, a cameo by Mike Tyson, some stage illusion and enough grand spectacle to fill a whole Broadway show, let alone an opening number. The standing ovation at the end was nearly a minute long. Lampshaded at the end by NPH:
82	-->''"Well, that's our budget, goodnight!"''
83	* ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera is there inside my mind!''
84	* "Don't Rain on My Parade" from ''Theatre/FunnyGirl'' is a favorite showpiece for belting divas from the original Creator/BarbraStreisand to Creator/IdinaMenzel.
85	* The number "Wait for Me" in ''Theatre/{{Hadestown}}'' not only requires a powerful vocal performance from Orpheus, but the entire stage transforms to a representation of the underworld to which Orpheus is walking. The Broadway performance has consistently met with minutes of standing ovation.
86	* In the 2005 revival of ''Theatre/{{Company}}'', Creator/RaulEsparza blew the roof off the theatre with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBBPKedba5o "Being Alive"]]. The resulting ovation was so long and so loud that the show was delayed for a good five minutes every night.
87	* ''Theatre/{{Shucked}}'': "Independently Owned", Lulu's big number late in the first act, needs a pause afterwards for the audience to stop applauding.
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90	[[folder:Web Comics]]
91	* Parodied in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', in which the first appearance of Ashley since the end of "So a Date at the Mall" is in a panel with a lens-flaring spotlight behind her and a sound effect reading "APPLAUSE". The applause [[SorryILeftTheBGMOn turns out to be some guy's ringtone]], the spotlight goes unexplained.
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94	[[folder:Western Animation]]
95	* ''WesternAnimation/TheWeekenders'' made fun of this trope:
96	-->'''Carver:''' Why can't we help you? I mean, sure, Tino is pretty clueless, but I stopped the show with my act last year.\
97	'''Lor:''' You knocked over a light and set the stage on fire.\
98	'''Carver:''' Which stopped the show.
99	* In "The Talent Show" on the PBS version of ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears'', Brother Bear is assigned as the talent scout for the school talent show. He finds a number of good acts, but is desperate to find his "showstopper," the big act that will bring down the house. His showstopper turns out to be the local "gang" leader / bully bear Too Tall, who has a surprisingly tender and compelling singing voice.
100	* Parodied in two early episodes of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'':
101	** In "A Hero Sits Next Door," Brian makes a joke about "Bill Clinton's integrity." Peter goes to respond...and an unseen studio audience laughs and applauds uproariously. Peter and Brian deliberately look uncomfortable as they wait, as if they were actors on a live show.
102	** In "Running Mates," Peter emerges from the house to ask if Lois knows where his pants are. The [[RefugeInAudacity studio audience that just moved in across the street]] thinks that's hilarious. Later, when they give an "Ooooooooooh" upon hearing that Chris got into trouble at school, Peter decides to call the cops on them.
103	* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'' has an episode called [[Recap/BoJackHorsemanS5E11TheShowstopper "The Showstopper"]], in which [=BoJack=] suffers a SanitySlippage thanks to his worsening drug addiction. He hallucinates his costar, Gina Cazador, performing a Broadway-style number highlighting various events of [=BoJack=]'s life. [[spoiler: Then he strangles Gina on set, causing the production of ''[[ShowWithinAShow Philbert]]'' to go on hiatus—stopping the show, if you will.]]
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Context Main / ShowStopper