A number in the show produced outbursts of laughter (5)
I believe the answer is:
howls
'outbursts of laughter' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both related to communication as well as being plural nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'a number in the show produced' is the wordplay.
'a number' becomes 'l' (fifty in Roman numerals).
'in the' indicates putting letters inside.
'produced' indicates anagramming the letters.
'show' with letters rearranged gives 'hows'.
'l' placed inside 'hows' is 'HOWLS'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Another definition for howls that I've seen is " Wails".)