Definition

1. Noun:
   • A highly successful theatrical production: An outstandingly popular and critically acclaimed play or performance.
   • A sensational bit of stagecraft: A sudden, surprising, and spectacular effect or technique used in a stage performance.
   • A dramatic surprise: Any sudden and striking event or turn of events, especially one that seems staged or theatrical in its impact.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The director's latest work was a genuine coup de theatre, selling out for months.
  • The sudden blackout followed by the ghost's appearance was a brilliant coup de theatre.
  • The politician's unexpected resignation was a political coup de theatre.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used metaphorically outside the theater to describe any event that is strikingly dramatic and surprising.
  • The CEO's announcement of the merger was a corporate coup de theatre, stunning the entire industry.

Variants and Related Words

• Coup (n): A sudden, successful, and often brilliant stroke or move. While related, "coup" alone (as in "coup d'état") is distinct from the theatrical "coup de theatre."
• Theatricality (n): The quality of being dramatic or spectacular, as if in a theater.

Synonyms

• Sensation: An event or fact that causes great public interest and excitement.
• Masterstroke: A very skillful and effective action or move.
• Showstopper: Something, such as a song or performance, that is so impressive it interrupts a show with applause.

Related Phrases

• Piece of theater: Can refer to an event or situation that is dramatic and possibly contrived for effect.
  • The whole public argument felt like a carefully orchestrated piece of theater.

Related Idioms

• A dramatic turn of events: A phrase describing a sudden and significant change in a situation.
  • The witness's testimony provided a dramatic turn of events in the trial. (This conveys a similar sense of surprise but is less specific to staged spectacle than "coup de theatre.")

Noun

1. a highly successful theatrical production
2. a sensational bit of stagecraft
3. a dramatic surprise