extravaganza, a literary or musical work marked by extreme freedom of style and structure and usually by elements of burlesque or parody, such as Samuel Butler’s Hudibras. The term extravaganza may also refer to an elaborate and spectacular theatrical production. The term once specifically referred to a type of 19th-century English drama made popular by J.R. Planché, a British playwright and antiquary who wrote fanciful portrayals of fairy tales and other poetic subjects based on similar French productions. Planché’s productions included dancing and music and influenced such later writers as W.S. Gilbert.