simple scripted play; straight play
A play that relies on dialogue and acting, without music, dance, or elaborate spectacle. Often contrasted with opera, musicals, or dance-drama.
This theater company mainly performs straight plays.
I saw a Shakespeare work as a straight play, not an opera.
Compound of 科白 (かはく, 'dialogue; lines') and 劇 (げき, 'drama; play'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term likely arose to distinguish spoken drama from musical or dance theatre.