production number

American  

noun

Theater.

1. a specialty number or routine, usually performed by the entire cast consisting of musicians, singers, dancers, stars, etc., of a musical comedy, vaudeville show, or the like.

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Etymology

Origin of production number

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

The finale of “Wicked” was the most spectacular musical production number put on film this century.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

Then he performed a production number, “I Won’t Waste Time,” which featured a chorus of dancing Conans and the “sandworm from ‘Dune 2’ ” playing “Chopsticks” on the piano.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2025

The size of each country’s production cut depends on the baseline production number it is using, so the cut might not be 1.15 million.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 2, 2023

In current fashion, the show opened not with a production number but a film montage, in this case a series of behind-the-scenes clips from nominated films.

From New York Times • Mar. 12, 2023

In a showcase of shorter performances that afternoon, another high school performs a production number from Pippin.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove