dumb show vs playing

dumb show and playing both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
dumb show	Yes	No	No	No
playing	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, playing is a hypernym of dumb show; that is, playing is a word with a broader meaning than dumb show:

Other hypernyms of dumb show include acting, performing, playacting.

dumb show (noun)	playing (noun)
a performance using gestures and body movements without words	the action of taking part in a game or sport or other recreation
	the act of playing a musical instrument
	the performance of a part or role in a drama