park and bark
v. phr.— «They understand that they just can’t stand there and expect people to be turned on by their great voice. They really have to act the role.…I think there’s a lot more expected than the “park and bark” singers, as they call them. Like (Luciano) Pavarotti is definitely a park and bark singer, but he can get away with it because he’s Pavarotti. But there’s a lot more expected today.» —“If opera singers need challenges, just try a musical” by Rich Copley Herald-Leader (Lexington, Ky.) Mar. 26, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
How do actors bring Shakespeare’s lines to life so that modern audiences immediately understand the text? One way is to emphasize the names of people and places at certain points. That technique is called billboarding. And: Anyone for an...
When you had sleepovers as a child, what did you call the makeshift beds you made on the floor? In some places, you call those bedclothes and blankets a pallet. This word comes from an old term for “straw.” And: What’s the story...