2/8 Episode # 2006
When the eleven o’clock number got its name, curtains rose at 8:40 and dropped at about 11:20. But by the middle of the second act of a Broadway musical, audiences can grow drowsy. You need a big production number to wake them up in time for the finale and bows. Regardless of style or approach, the song and its performance had to be big enough to re-engage an audience. Think “Hello, Dolly.”
