A curtain call (often known as a walkdown or a final bow) occurs at the end of a performance when one or more performers return to the stage to be recognized by the audience for the performance. In

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

, the performers typically recognize the

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

and its conductor at the end of the curtain call.

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

holds the record for receiving 165 curtain calls, more than any other artist, for his February 24, 1988, performance of Nemorino in Gaetano Donizetti's ''

L'elisir d'amore ''L'elisir d'amore'' (; ''The Elixir of Love'') is a (comic melodrama, opera buffa) in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto, after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's (1831). ...

''.

In film and television

In film and television, the term "curtain call" is used to describe a sequence at the end of the film and before the

closing credits Closing credits, aka end credits or end titles, are a list of the cast and crew of a particular motion picture, television show, or video game. While opening credits appear at the beginning of a work, closing credits appear close to or at th ...

, in which brief clips, stills, or outtakes featuring each main character are shown in sequence with the actor's name captioned. This sequence results in a similar individual recognition of each actor by the audience as would occur in a stage curtain call. This is not common, but when seen is more common in films that are light-hearted and have many characters, or perhaps a long list of cameo appearances. At the end of every episode of

Little Einsteins ''Little Einsteins'' is an American Animated series, animated children's television series developed by Douglas Wood (writer), Douglas Wood and based on the Baby Einstein line of videos. Produced by The Baby Einstein Company (at the time owned ...

, a “Curtain Call” segment is shown, followed by a “That’s So Silly” segment. On occasion, long-running television series, particularly those filmed in front of a live audience, have featured a theater-style curtain call at the conclusion of their runs, with the cast breaking character and often showing the audience and crew. The final episode of ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...

'', entitled " The Last Show," was a famous example of this. Since then, this term has been, more or less, associated with the

series finale A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, ...

of a particular show.

In sports

Athletes who also perform well may return to the field of play after a big play or at the conclusion of the game for recognition. Professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

players usually take their cap or helmet by the brim and hold it in the air. According to baseball historian Peter Morris, in May 1881 Detroit fans cheered a home run by Charlie Bennett until he bowed to them. On October 3, 1951, after Bobby Thomson hit the pennant-winning home run for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

in the ninth inning of the third game of the National League playoff, jubilant Giants fans swarmed the playing field of the

Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 to 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built for the ...

, running after the triumphant Giant players, who raced towards the clubhouse which was located in center field. Author Joshua Prager, in his definitive volume of Thomson's homer ''The Echoing Green'', wrote, "(T)housands of fans hungry for a curtain call stood now outside a green clubhouse chanting 'We want Thomson!' We want Thomson!'" Several minutes later (about 15 minutes after the actual home run), "word reached Thomson that he was wanted outside, that only a curtain call might dissipate the stubborn throng ... And so out Thomson went, wading through the packed clubhouse to its top outdoor step." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' sportswriter John Drebinger called the crowd's response "the most frenzied 'curtain calls' ever afforded a ballplayer."

References

{{reflist Stage terminology Sports culture Bowing