opening night

noun

the first performance of a theatrical attraction, taking place in the evening: The audience was full of celebrities on opening night.

Origin of opening night

First recorded in 1805–15

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

At the opening-night party, Mart Crowley saw Mae West sitting alone, except for the company of two musclemen bodyguards.
When Hollywood Flirted with Porn: 1969, ‘Myra Breckinridge,’ ‘Beyond the Valley of the Dolls,’ & 20th Century Fox | Robert Hofler | February 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But the opening-night gala may not be the only place producer Michael Cohl has to get dressed up for.
Spider-Man's Pay Dispute With Fired Director Julie Taymor | Jacob Bernstein | June 2, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Daily Beast caught up with Broadway newcomer Julia Stiles the day after opening night.
The Yes List – 40 Years of Monty Python | The Daily Beast | October 16, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
The performance of Jesss play would have to get along without him on this opening night.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage | Gertrude W. Morrison
At the rival house Ponchielli's La Gioconda attracted a large but not a crowded audience on the opening night.
The Mapleson Memoirs, vol II | James H. Mapleson

Haddon, she's got a bug about that dress, and she says she wants to take it to London with her, to use on the opening night.
Cheerful--By Request | Edna Ferber
And the thief crawls through the opening night after night; is it not outrageous?'
Norse Tales and Sketches | Alexander Lange Kielland
Barrie liked her work so much that he cabled Frohman about it on the opening night.
Charles Frohman: Manager and Man | Isaac Frederick Marcosson and Daniel Frohman

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