tab show U.S. slang.
[f. tabloid + show n.1]
A short version of a musical, esp. one performed by a travelling company.
| 1951 Green & Laurie Show Biz 571/2 Tab show, tabloid version of a musical. 1953 Sun (Baltimore) 30 Sept. 38/6 He traveled in ‘tab shows’—vaudeville and musical comedy—through the South. 1983 N.Y. Times 12 June xxi. 10/4 Most Broadway musicals are simply streamlined for travel, ranging from the ‘tab shows’ (short for tabloid) that are the trademark of some resorts, to abridged versions in stock or dinner theaters. |