“The audience in a Broadway show can be intoxicating, and it’s like a litmus test [ˈlɪt.məs tɛst].. If a joke doesn’t land one night, you tell it differently the next night. It’s terrifying, on set, to have no idea if something is working.” — Erika Henningsen, quoted in The Hollywood Reporter, 1 May 2025

litmus test
noun [ˈlɪt.məs tɛst].

A litmus test is something (such as an opinion about a political or moral issue) that is used to make a judgment about whether someone or something is acceptable.

It was in the 14th century that scientists discovered that litmus, a mixture of colored organic compounds obtained from lichen, turns red in acid solutions and blue in alkaline solutions and, thus, can be used as an acid-base indicator...

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