(Another) Top Five Opening Numbers (Know the Score)

[@joyunicycle]

The opening to Fiddler on the Roof was a thing that got me hooked onto the musical in the first place! I love how it instantly identifies everybody in one song and the themes.

[@trinaq]

Thanks for the recommendations, Diva. I remember watching "Fiddler on the Roof" with my Grandma, thinking that it was going to be boring, but being completely transfixed by the opening song. Even if you've never seen the musical, you'd be able to bellow out "TRADITION!" at the tops of your lungs.

[@erikbihari3625]

Two words;"John Williams"!

[@171QA]

Belle from Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite openings.

[@BroadwayBrittany]

Glad to see “Forum” get some love here. Sure, it’s nothing super complex or amazing, but damn. The songs are delightful and fun and catchy as hell-at least once a week, I’ll have “My Bride” randomly popping into my head, even though it’s genuinely been at least 10 years since the last time I listened to it.

[@jacobbelow4136]

I still have so many fond memories performing in my high school production of 'Forum'! (One of the few fond memories I have of high school!)

[@liamannegarner8083]

Sondheim later reused some of "Invocation" in "The Frogs," so at least it didn't go to waste.

[@oliviabrandi5347]

The Family Madrigal from Encanto has to be the greatest opening number in Disneydom. It’s fun, upbeat, and catchy, while giving the audience everything we need to know about Madrigal family. It introduces us to the world and the characters without feeling like too much exposition all at once. Hard agree on the Hadestown and Great Comet love! ❤️❤️❤️

[@pompe221]

A couple of my favorite opening numbers are "Hello!" from "Book of Mormon" and "Jellicle Cats" from "CATS." The first one is just so fun and peppy and the second one has will always have a special place in my heart for being in the first professional musical that I ever saw.

[@alexanderklepp]

Always nice to see a new Know the Score from you.

[@erikbihari3625]

Wonder when will Daniel Ingram's turn come!

[@juliagoodwin9510]

Some favorites: "Alexander Hamilton" from Hamilton (obviously). It's an obvious choice, but it sets up the story well. "No One Mourns The Wicked" from Wicked. Another obvious but good choice.

[@magisketch1]

an opening number that i thought was bad at first but was actually genius was the opening to legally blonde, the introduction of the sorority has a very basic melody and lyrics made me think it was gonna it was gonna be a mediocre or even bad musical but as soon as elle showed up the music seemed stronger and had a better flow, the opening number showed us the presumptions of ellle's story the dumb blonde that is actually a genius if given the chance

[@lizorgan1238]

100%!! I love the opening to legally blonde!

[@DemiSemme]

I feel bad Comedy Tonight is no longer an opening number to me, it's a Muppet number. But come on, it's the Muppets!!!!

[@kendramalm8811]

"Come From Away" has got to be my own favorite opening number! Saw the road show without knowing anything about it and was blown away!

[@johnvinals7423]

FURTHER HONOURABLE MENTIONS, SOME OF WHICH MIGHT NOT COMPLETELY QUALIFY BY DIVA’S STANDARDS 01. “Let there be” from “Children of Eden” 02. “Rider’s Lullaby” from “Centaurworld” 03. “Happy Day in Hell” from “Hazbin Hotel” 04. “The I.M.P. Jingle” from “Helluva Boss” 05. “We Dance” from “Once on this Island” 06. “Etheria Someday” from Sydney Nicole’s unofficial musical version of “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power” 07. “Think inside of the box” from Joriah Kwame’s unofficial musical version of “The Owl House” 08. “She’s my sister” from “The In-Between” 09. The Opening Song from Katherine Lynn-Rose’s unofficial musical version of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” 10. “Once Upon a Time in New York City” from “Oliver and Company”

[@jackwells8107]

Magic To Do is one of my all time favorite numbers by one of my all-time favorite composers.

[@jamesrule1338]

There will probably never be a touring production of Great Comet. And this saddens me immensely.

[@graciegalahad9258]

The rights are out though! So there will be someone at least vaguely near you doing it eventually!

[@richkee2024]

I appreciate that you've picked musicals which could easily have been rendered inaccessible if they didn't find the perfect opening. Picking the great tone setters and not necessarily the standalone bangers. Whether these are the best songs to ever open a show is debateable, but they're definitely among the most vital.

[@liamannegarner8083]

Seconding this. The musical I'm writing right now has a lot of tones to balance (two main characters who don't break the fourth wall and two who do), mixed with an opening scene that was normal in the book but can only be recapped onstage, and I couldn't include the chaos - I rewrote the opening from being a mournful lullaby to "the fourth wall characters reenact the chaos the protagonist describes of his first experience in the big scary city" and immediately, just the piano demos are gripping even as it's ⅔ finished... now I just have to not screw it up. And if I'd stuck with the original, it would have seemed a chaotic mess. Now we understand these characters as the eye of a hurricane trying to stick together to live.

[@jacobbelow4136]

I would say that "30/90" from 'Tik, Tik, BOOM' would make my Top 5 Opening Themes as of late!

[@trinaq]

I'm seeing "Hamilton" for the first time live in a few months, and I'm greatly anticipating hearing all of the iconic songs up close, especially the opening number. Disney Plus and KZbin bootlegs are decent, but it's simply not the same as seeing it up close, in person.

[@erikbihari3625]

A;Liberty's kids beat him. B;Not expect good from the guy who's manly name got sandwitched between two female ones, and wrote the scuttle butt!

[@fabianhebestreit3240]

@@erikbihari3625Alan Menken wrote The Scuttlebutt, Miranda only contributed lyrics.

[@erikbihari3625]

@@fabianhebestreit3240. With how mutch people drooled over his work with encanto and stuff, thought Disney just let the dude off the chains, and that was the outcome. Not everyone can handle freedom! You heard that metal gear rising was just one happy accident?

[@theanonymousunknown1949]

I’m so happy you brought up the bells of notre dame and the comet of 1912, thank you so much for bringing up these underrated openings!

[@strawberrysoulforever8336]

We've done a Top 10 list and we put in several of yours, but we made Alexander Hamilton #2, only to put #1 something you woefully left out. That is "Beautiful" from Heathers, which introduces the setting, almost all the characters, and the context about how Veronica got in with the Heathers in the first place (the movie did not do that).

[@FengNirothar]

We played Fiddler with my musical group, and Tradition is such a great song to start a show off with. You just get swept right along, everyone's on stage doing this together, building the base for the community this story will take place in.

[@rami_ungar_writer]

A few of my favorite openings were on this list!

[@opheliapurple]

Hadestown is so stylish, probably my favorite musical

[@jonathanwallis3300]

Another honorable mention that I would like to add in Diva, is “Oh The Thinks You Can Think.” From Seussical.

[@lizorgan1238]

My fav opening that I feel like doesn’t get a lot of love is Kinky Boots! You get the little jingle at the beginning that tells you about the factory etc and then get to meet the characters as the grow up & it really helps to set the story so well!

[@willlyon7129]

We Dance from Once on This Island is one of my favorite underrated opening songs that establishes the setting of the show.

[@ghostproductions582]

HOLY HELL A NEW MUSICAL HELL VIDEO YAYYYY!!!!

[@AMoniqueOcampo]

Fun fact: My high school did a production of "Forum." It was gut-busting hilarious!

[@johnvinals7423]

Oh, and I also have a lot of love for both “Ex-Wives” from “Six” and “The Advantages of floating in the middle of the sea” from “Pacific Overtures”.

[@AsheNightwind]

My two first musicals were Sound of Music and My Fair Lady. Classics, but I have to admit The Hills are Alive is a bit weak compared to Why Can’t the English Learn to Speak? But my other faves are (in no particular order): Cats Avenue Q Rent Hamilton Wicked Fiddler on the Roof I’m sure there’s more, and I didn’t include the Disney ones, but these I can remember in my pre-coffee brain

[@Drewski217]

I'm not sure if this was on the other list but the sequence for 'Give a girl a break' is among my favorite EVER. So much characterization & personality from 5 unknowns in 2 or so lines that all fit together in a fun way and then we get to the actual dance sequences that are super fun.

[@annekeener4119]

Forum actually had another potential opening number before Sondheim wrote “Comedy Tonight.” That song “Invocations and Instructions to the Audience” wound up being used for The Frogs, Sondheim’s adaptation of a comedy by Aristophanes, instead. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is also technically a mashup/adaptation of several plays by the Roman playwright Plautus.

[@mathildehb0076]

«Tradition» is also daaamn catchy!!

[@johnvinals7423]

Also, I just listened to “Starry” and “Lempicka”, and those both have amazing opening numbers in the form of “Impress Me” and “Unseen” (“History’s a bitch, but so am I!”). And of course, “The Turning of the Key” is a magnificent opening song…but then again so is the entire score of “The Clockmaker’s Daughter”, to be quite honest.

[@lovelylexi2076]

Some of my personal favorite opening numbers (excluding overtures) __________________________________________ Spies are Forever from Spies are Forever- Forshadows important plot points, manages to parody James Bond theme songs , and provides one of the catalysts to the show's story in under five minutes Mama Who Bore Me from Spring Awakening- Introduces the ideas of the show and the poetic lyricism it's known for Beat It from MJ The Musical- The definition of an electric opening number Waiting from The Band's Visit- Sets the mood/tone/vibes of the show perfectly Welcome to the New World from Gatsby: An American Myth- Grabs your attention and just an overall bop on its own Heaven on their Minds from Jesus Christ Superstar- You can't go wrong with a classic

[@Volvagia1927]

The I.M.P. Jingle, Helluva Boss. Yes, it's short, but the sequence has to both introduce the cast/premise AND sound like cheesy ad music. I think it succeeds, even if the character stuff introduced in the song is done wordlessly.

[@liamannegarner8083]

​@@Volvagia1927If we're counting internet stuff, "Dream A Little Harder" from "Twisted" is impressive in how much it communicates about the world and characters in single lines.

[@graciegalahad9258]

YES TO GATSBY! It pulls you in nicely!

[@jakemetzgar]

Hell yes Hadestown!!!

[@marijosediaz3218]

As a Mexican, I'm not an expert in American history. (just the Greatest Hits version). What I love about "Alexander Hamilton" is that I don't need to know who will get to play who, but which are the relationships between character.s And its beat is a good way to get used to the music style. (The first time I read the cast of characters, I coudn't help but ask the whereabouts of Benjamin Franklin).

[@robhankins796]

Hey did you know that tradition was not the original plan for the fiddler on the roof. I forgot what is was called but it's about the three daughters and he mother and helping preparing for the sabbath.

[@graciegalahad9258]

GREAT COMET MENTION RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

[@billysullivan6788]

86 the merman bit

[@ChrisTalkz]

I love Hamilton on Disney+!

[@TheJFish94]

Can you give please do a “Know the Score” for the Wicked movie and Moana 2 when they come out? You also forgot to include No One Mourns the Wicked in this list.

[@anavalbuenalopez-fonseca1878]

I think Beetlejuice has a good opening to. Don't you tink?. Hamilton Is the best one, like you said

[@erikbihari3625]

Honestly surprised you never covered Daniel Ingram's handy work. Hasbro used him mutch, with even brief glimpses can tell you why! Moi only thinking that"magical mystery cure"rocks?

[@Volvagia1927]

Unless you count the theme song? The first song of Friendship is Magic is almost 2/3rds into the two part pilot. That's...way too far into the show to count as an opening number, let alone a song from Episode 65!

[@erikbihari3625]

@@Volvagia1927. The show have musical episodes where there are more than one song. The aformentioned magical mystery cure have whopping five, and that without including the ending reprise! Give some respect here?

[@liamannegarner8083]

He admitted he couldn't find a rhyme for "Winter Wrap-up," so he decided the chorus would be the words repeated - and then spent two days trying every possible melody until he found the catchiest one possible. Hardest thing is simplicity. (The script to Close Encounters said "five notes based on the harmonic series" and John Williams did the same, tried every combination and picked his favorite.)

[@erikbihari3625]

@@liamannegarner8083. Allrighty then. Not really asked for this, but thanks...

[@erikbihari3625]

Seriously every time, someone's big with the music industry(especially broadway)they must have"lousy aim"? Now know why people say musicals are gay! Hope for least not Ingram.

[@matthewmccoyd2578]

The next April Fools one should be on Hazbin Hotel

[@jakeakawayne6437]

Can you do Wish & Lestat?

[@erikbihari3625]

Dude, wish suck such, that even hungary can cook with the lyrics. Yes Hungary+Cooking=Wish!?

[@Volvagia1927]

I think she would have done Wish by now if she didn't retire the main show, but even if she DIDN'T retire the main show, Lestat is impossible. They didn't film it. They didn't release the Cast Recording. It was pre phones with cameras being commonplace. So, yeah, there's no visual or auditory source for a review of that one.

[@erikbihari3625]

@@Volvagia1927. What you meant with;"retired the main show"?

[@jakeakawayne6437]

@@Volvagia1927 There are def videos, I've watched them. Bummer, I didn't know about the retirement.