Top 10 Best Opening Numbers in Classic Musicals

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MsMojo

MsMojo

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 443
@MsMojo
@MsMojo 3 ай бұрын
Which of these opening numbers is your personal favorite? Let us know below, and check out our video of the Top 10 Finale Songs from Musicals That Give Us Chills: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4KQcqqaiMyKjtEsi=PT_azY6VEjBdaqSl
@kevinjewell233
@kevinjewell233 2 ай бұрын
Grease????? the movie was released in 1978, the play a good 5 years before that...opening number 'Summer Nights'!!!
@KillerChihuahua
@KillerChihuahua 2 ай бұрын
Little Shop of Horrors, Prologue
@TheBusywasp
@TheBusywasp 2 ай бұрын
hi, I love the auction scene from Phantom of the Opera, but I love many others from your list too.
@FreulerAZ
@FreulerAZ 2 ай бұрын
I'm probably biased because I did the show in high school (1978), but I liked 'Fugue for Tinhorns' from Guys & Dolls. I liked playing Nicely Nicely Johnson.
@PeBoVision
@PeBoVision 3 ай бұрын
I would have added "Prepare Thee", the opening number from Godspell. Starting with a soft solo acapella that builds to a crescendo of the entire cast and orchestra, sets the tone for this street-smart Jesus musical.
@marilynleslie472
@marilynleslie472 3 ай бұрын
Yes!
@annemchurchwell
@annemchurchwell 3 ай бұрын
Absolutely this!
@jamesmoconnell
@jamesmoconnell 3 ай бұрын
"Prepare **Ye**". 'Ye", not 'Thee'.
@PeBoVision
@PeBoVision 3 ай бұрын
@@jamesmoconnell Geriatric Brain Fart. I stand corrected.
@Peter-z9t
@Peter-z9t 3 ай бұрын
"Prepare Ye" (not "Thee")
@MMA-ki3pm
@MMA-ki3pm 3 ай бұрын
It’s nice to be reminded that Jerry Orbach was on Broadway as well as screen.
@danacarpender2287
@danacarpender2287 2 ай бұрын
When he died he had had more performances on Broadway than any other actor. Don't know if anyone's surpassed him yet, but he's a Broadway legend.
@slickjack2618
@slickjack2618 Ай бұрын
While Orbach was in several Broadway productions, "The Fantasticks" presented in this compilation was not one of them. This production has always been performed "Off-Broadway" for both its original forty-two year run and subsequent several year revival. Wouldn't have liked to have been an angel investing in that little Off-Broadway" show?
@valeriehaas4784
@valeriehaas4784 Ай бұрын
As an actor, I was in 7 of these shows! And directed one of them. I was also in 2 of the honorable mentions. That is so crazy! Thanks for this walk down memory lane :)
@sharioverend1618
@sharioverend1618 11 күн бұрын
Thank you for your admirable contributions
@StatRM
@StatRM 3 ай бұрын
As clichés as this might be, I think that the Work Song (Look Down) from Les Miserables should have been included. It always gives me goosebumps in the best way and perfectly introduces both Valjean and his struggles, as well as his conflict with Javert, while simultaneously giving the audience a strong taste of the heavier themes of the story without holding back. Just a sheer power right from the beginning.
@Positivekitten
@Positivekitten 3 ай бұрын
This was for pre-1980 shows, so Les Mis couldn’t have made this list. (it is one of my favorites though.)
@idrilaldarion8088
@idrilaldarion8088 3 ай бұрын
I agree this should have definitely been included.
@tessat338
@tessat338 3 ай бұрын
It'll be in the post-1980s list.
@BernardProfitendieu
@BernardProfitendieu 3 ай бұрын
those bloated Cameron Mackintosh numbers didn't stand a chance (or the test of time)🤢🤢🤮
@StatRM
@StatRM 3 ай бұрын
@@Positivekitten Oops! I forgot about that. Well, here's hoping that it will be included if they ever do a part 2 of this list that focuses on post-1980 musicals.
@jacklow9611
@jacklow9611 3 ай бұрын
"Science Fiction, Double Feature" from "The Rocky Horror Show" is iconic.
@lizanna6390
@lizanna6390 2 ай бұрын
So iconic Patricia Quinn almost told them to stick their movie because she didn't get ti sing that song.
@jacklow9611
@jacklow9611 2 ай бұрын
@@lizanna6390 : Since Richard O'Brien wrote the song (and the entire thing), it was only right that he sing the song. It would be interesting hearing it sung by Magenta, though.
@mrblanche
@mrblanche 2 ай бұрын
You missed my favorite...the opening number of The Music Man, which sets the stage so perfectly for what is to come.
@JessRansdellSmith
@JessRansdellSmith 2 ай бұрын
Aw man, I came here figuring this would be on here. Now i"m disappointed!
@DavidHonneus
@DavidHonneus 2 ай бұрын
"Rock Island" was terrific and sets the stage for the entire show.
@plumskiter
@plumskiter 17 күн бұрын
Came here to say the same thing!
@RickvanVeldhuizen
@RickvanVeldhuizen 3 ай бұрын
In principle West Side Story's Prologue is an orchestral overture ;-)
@marthacalkins8054
@marthacalkins8054 Ай бұрын
Every step, every move in West Side Story is choreographed. The entire movie is a ballet.
@joyunicycle
@joyunicycle 3 ай бұрын
"Rock Island/Iowa Stubborn" is still my favorite intro and what got me excited for The Music Man.
@Anjuli50
@Anjuli50 3 ай бұрын
Yes, a perfect opener for this show!
@mrblanche
@mrblanche 2 ай бұрын
Yes, that's my favorite, too. In fact, it's just about perfect.
@merriemisfit8406
@merriemisfit8406 14 күн бұрын
I was in the pit orchestra for a production of "The Music Man" DECADES AGO, and I STILL remember that opening rap. "... Was the Model T Ford made the trouble, made the people want to go, want to get, want to get, want to get up and go ...".
@xarophti
@xarophti 2 ай бұрын
I was fortunate enough to see Joel Gray in one of his last live performances as Emcee. Although he'd lost his voice, he insisted on pantomiming his performance while his understudy sang from backstage. It was so perfectly performed you couldn't tell.
@danacarpender2287
@danacarpender2287 2 ай бұрын
The first Broadway show I saw was George M! starring a then-newbie Joel Grey.
@daniellebrothers3688
@daniellebrothers3688 Ай бұрын
Opening number of The Music Man. It sets you up for Harold Hill and his salesmanship to sell music wherever he goes.
@mbrow
@mbrow 3 ай бұрын
These musicals lists that you do always bring a lump to my throat. My father was active in the theater and played in most of the iconic musicals of the 40s through the 60s. Our home was always filled with his beautiful voice, so all of these are precious to me. Wish I could hear him sing once more. I love them all, but my favorite is The Sound of Music.
@danielpauly9865
@danielpauly9865 2 ай бұрын
I thought the opening song from Camelot sung by King Arthur would have made the list. It certainly sets the stage for the whole show.
@Betty-qz5zd
@Betty-qz5zd Ай бұрын
Wishing I were in Scotland, fishing tonight!
@PrincessMeggala0913
@PrincessMeggala0913 3 ай бұрын
I’m so happy “Magic to Do” is included. Pippin is one of my favorite shows ❤
@DavidHonneus
@DavidHonneus 2 ай бұрын
Don't forget the opening of "Bye, Bye' Birdie" with the kids on the telephones!!!
@plumskiter
@plumskiter 17 күн бұрын
have you heard about Hugo and Kim?
@trinaq
@trinaq 3 ай бұрын
Even if you've never seen "Fiddler on the Roof", you'll instantly be able to bellow "Tradition" at the tops of your lungs. It's basically the theme of the entire musical.
@rubygracemoseley8144
@rubygracemoseley8144 3 ай бұрын
My mom every once in a while bellows out “TRADITOOOOOON!” 😂 My older siblings were in their drama club’s Fiddler On The Roof production around 12-13 years ago. I was very little and I have no memory of the actual performance except that my older brother was wearing a fake beard and gray hair that stuck out a lot 😂
@terrilee6984
@terrilee6984 3 ай бұрын
Guys&Dolls
@jillianmyerly1818
@jillianmyerly1818 3 ай бұрын
With the arm shimmy. Don't forget the arm shimmy!!!
@DavidRay_40
@DavidRay_40 3 ай бұрын
That's my dad's favorite movie. I always found it...strange. Not a movie I'll ever watch again if I can avoid it.
@tessat338
@tessat338 3 ай бұрын
@@jillianmyerly1818 The conditions for getting the rights to the show are that the production has to use the original choreography, including the bottle dance and the Russian kick dance. The arm shimmy is de-rigueur. It literally cannot be left out!
@olleselin
@olleselin 3 ай бұрын
Who could forget that iconic opening of "A Sound of Music"
@tessat338
@tessat338 3 ай бұрын
My son was in the pit orchestra for his high school's latest production of "A Sound of Music." The stage show opens with the nuns singing in Latin. They were spot on! I'm RC and have sung choral and liturgical music, both in school and at mass. This production's nuns sounded absolutely beautiful and authentically religious. This public school has a great music program. It is one of the only all-student pit orchestras in the area. The choral program is just about as good. They sound totally professional. One of the few positives of remote learning during COVID, was that I got to hear my son playing alone, not with a jazz band or an orchestra around him. It was lovely!
@Monty_BeGoodToEachOther
@Monty_BeGoodToEachOther Ай бұрын
As much as I like all these other offerings.. it's Sound of Music that engulfed the audience with those stunning images and entwined with such a captiaving tune.
@firefalcoln
@firefalcoln 26 күн бұрын
I think it’s more memorable and iconic in the movie than the stage version because the real landscape is so much more impressive than whatever decorations they create for a stage to try to mimic the mountains of Austria.
@MegaFortinbras
@MegaFortinbras 5 күн бұрын
Sound of Music has so much treacle, I feel my teeth rotting.
@Peter-z9t
@Peter-z9t 3 ай бұрын
I am so glad "Try to Remember" from "The Fantasticks" (longest running musical in history) is included. I was afraid that a soft ballad with only piano and harp accompaniment from an off-Broadway show would be overlooked among all these other powerhouse numbers.
@nbenefiel
@nbenefiel 2 ай бұрын
When I was a kid, I first saw Fantastiks with Jerry Orbach.
@ellynmacgregor8210
@ellynmacgregor8210 Ай бұрын
@@nbenefiel You were so lucky!
@joecascone2189
@joecascone2189 3 ай бұрын
All excellent choices. I'd have to say that "Comedy Tonight" from "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" is the greatest opening number from this list. It informs, and (really) entertains and truly sets up the whole show. And, yes it DID save the show out-of-town in Washington (pre-Broadway)!
@Blazingstoke
@Blazingstoke 22 күн бұрын
"Tradition" from _Fiddler_ is similar - out-of-town tryouts started with "Matchmaker", which got audiences expecting more of a romantic comedy, whereas the conflict between tradition and modernism is the driving theme of the show.
@briankulbaba
@briankulbaba 3 ай бұрын
Thank you for including King And I!! Such an amazing musical.
@KatherineXIX
@KatherineXIX 2 ай бұрын
I would have added Rock Island from The Music Man. Basically the 1912 equivalent of rap to the beat of train sounds.
@seantlewis376
@seantlewis376 3 ай бұрын
"I hope I get it" is the embodiment of auditions. I have been in hundreds of auditions, and got about 60% of them. It's always bad to be told to go home, but making it to the next stage is always exhilarating.
@MichaelJohnson-vi6eh
@MichaelJohnson-vi6eh 2 ай бұрын
I envy performers- believing in yourself after all that rejection.
@geraldineclarke5434
@geraldineclarke5434 Ай бұрын
I would have put Sweeny Todd at #1, I was on a business trip to NYC and the first night I wandered down to TKTS to get a halfprice ticket to something. As I got to the ticket window, someone in the back said "I've got 6 tickets to the new Sondheim" and I immediately bought one. It was Sweeny which had just opened and I knew nothing about it. I think knowing nothing about that show before you see is great. That opening number was absolutely devastating and the show gave me the greatest theatrical experience of my life.
@danaxtell2367
@danaxtell2367 2 ай бұрын
Only 4 of these opening songs made it to the Top Ten on the pop charts--Aquarius (as a cover), Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Sound of Music, and Try to Remember. I think the openings of modern musicals try to be so fancy that it's hard to succeed as a plain old pop song. And I love that you put Fiddler and Oklahoma side by side, since the true events were the same period, 1905-1907. I like to imagine that, when Tevye's youngest daughters left for America, they ended up in Oklahoma just before statehood and they're in the cast somewhere. Oy, What a Beautiful Morning! (I know, they probably ended up in New York's Lower East Side, but it's fun to imagine.)
@dickfalkenbury1106
@dickfalkenbury1106 Ай бұрын
Very few musical stage numbers make it to the top forty. Interestingly, one of the last to do so was 'Send In the Clowns" by Judy Collins. Sondheim had written it as a 'throwaway' song for Glynis Johns who had about a five-note range (from 'A Little Night Music').
@warrenabrahams8852
@warrenabrahams8852 2 ай бұрын
I would include: Would it" nt be Loverly? My Fair Lady, No One Mourns the Wicked - Wicked, Hello - The Book of Mormon; At the End of the Day - Les Miserables
@worrywart1311
@worrywart1311 2 ай бұрын
Good songs but this in a compendium of OPENING songs.
@elsie900
@elsie900 2 ай бұрын
@@worrywart1311 "Hello" is definitely a good modern addition to this list. Should definitely be included in a post-1980 compendium!
@oiooi6460
@oiooi6460 28 күн бұрын
Wouldn't it be luvverly isn't the opening number of My Fair Lady, Wicked and book of Mormon are post 1980
@Karla_Marie
@Karla_Marie 3 ай бұрын
It is so cool to see Jerry Orbach singing on stage. And such a beautiful song.
@Shan_Dalamani
@Shan_Dalamani 3 ай бұрын
I had no idea he could sing. All I've seen him in is Law & Order and Dirty Dancing.
@nbenefiel
@nbenefiel 2 ай бұрын
I saw Orbach in Fantastiks when I was A. Kid. It was magical. I still have some of the paper squares that were floated into the audience.
@MightyMoCat
@MightyMoCat Ай бұрын
I miss Jerry Orbach. 😢
@NickofMusic
@NickofMusic 3 ай бұрын
Superstar and Sweeney being honorable mentions but kiss me Kate making the list is straight up criminal activity
@BernardProfitendieu
@BernardProfitendieu 3 ай бұрын
lol Andrew Lloyd NoTalent ain't ever gonna make any Top 10 lists
@NickofMusic
@NickofMusic 3 ай бұрын
@@BernardProfitendieu I may not defend other Webber projects as much, but Superstar is on a different plain. Forget MT, the JCS record is one of the all time best records ever.
@cedgson91
@cedgson91 3 ай бұрын
💯
@keithmcmanus2406
@keithmcmanus2406 2 ай бұрын
The real crime is the JCS honorable mention wasn't even Carl Anderson.
@cedgson91
@cedgson91 2 ай бұрын
@@keithmcmanus2406 💯 He was the perfect Judas
@kristenlee2357
@kristenlee2357 3 ай бұрын
The thumbnail being Jesus Christ superstar meant I was very disappointed that you listed honorable mentions. I’m very sad.😢
@tessat338
@tessat338 3 ай бұрын
I know! Seriously!
@BernardProfitendieu
@BernardProfitendieu 3 ай бұрын
calm thyself, you'll recover - that show is a crapfest
@backdraft916
@backdraft916 3 ай бұрын
@@BernardProfitendieuyour opinion; and you know what they say about opinions…
@agneskirsch8335
@agneskirsch8335 3 ай бұрын
Especially since "Heaven on their minds" is such a great song
@cindywhittington1418
@cindywhittington1418 3 ай бұрын
Yeah, I was disappointed also… both Godspell and JC Superstar were great musicals…
@freeheeler09
@freeheeler09 Ай бұрын
Reading through the comments and I realize how lucky we are to have been able to experience such a variety great shows! And, on any particular day, another dozen openers could have been highlighted here.
@macyinthemist
@macyinthemist 3 ай бұрын
Ugh baiting me with jesus christ superstar and then finding out that heaven on their minds is only in the honorable mentions...when will this musical be more present in these top tens?
@namewitheld2568
@namewitheld2568 23 күн бұрын
It's one of the best opening numbers ever.
@darelmaxfield2145
@darelmaxfield2145 19 күн бұрын
The Sound of Music, imo, should be number 1 of all time. And, I'd include Comedy Tonight and the the opening of The Music Man. A GREAT topic and thoughtful list-thank you!
@henrikechers9995
@henrikechers9995 3 ай бұрын
So many greats. Sound of Music, and "Oh what a beautiful Morning" are my favorite
@ArnellaMaturin
@ArnellaMaturin Ай бұрын
Thank you for a little extra Jerry Orbach at the end.
@dellarosa24601
@dellarosa24601 3 ай бұрын
When I was 6 years old, I saw my first musical: Les Misérables. I fell in love instantly. 22 years later, the opening still immediately immerses me into my favorite musical of all time. Nothing ever can compare, for me.
@BernardProfitendieu
@BernardProfitendieu 3 ай бұрын
it was written for 6 year olds, so that sorta figures
@ivonav3751
@ivonav3751 2 ай бұрын
@@BernardProfitendieu Not sure what you mean by that...I don't know many six year olds (you must have been a pretty discerning child, @dellarosa24601) who would be able to sit through the whole thing much less understand what was going on. I've loved some of the songs for a long time, but finally saw it with my husband last year (we are in our 60's) and are seeing another production next month. I suppose the musical structure of some of the tunes is not terribly sophisticated or complex, but that hardly puts it in a "written for 6 year olds" category.
@BernardProfitendieu
@BernardProfitendieu 2 ай бұрын
@@ivonav3751 I should have said written for 6 year olds or those in their 60s who act like 6 year olds Happy now, dear?
@ivonav3751
@ivonav3751 2 ай бұрын
@@BernardProfitendieu I'd have been happier had you actually answered my question, but it just serves me right for giving you the benefit of the doubt.
@marioalbertolagunesperez2021
@marioalbertolagunesperez2021 3 ай бұрын
Well, for me, heaven in your minds is the most awesome of all you mentioned
@suno8911
@suno8911 3 ай бұрын
“Jellical song for jellical cats” is one of the most incredible, impactful overtures ever. As much as we love to hate the recent movie disaster, who can deny the impact of Cats in the history of musicals?
@noelleggett5368
@noelleggett5368 3 ай бұрын
Cats was first produced in 1981. This post is about musicals before the 1980s.
@tedcoop4392
@tedcoop4392 2 ай бұрын
*Jellicle
@tswanson7354
@tswanson7354 3 ай бұрын
Guys and Dolls is a classic and personal favorite would also be Godspell.
@DanYHKim2
@DanYHKim2 Ай бұрын
The start with the shofar being blown
@marionbayley1351
@marionbayley1351 2 ай бұрын
Has anyone else noticed that, in this Top Ten, there are THREE Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals (4 if you include the also-rans) - proving them to be THE greatest ever!
@WraythSkitzofrenik
@WraythSkitzofrenik Ай бұрын
I still remember finding the Hugh Jackman version of Oklahoma in a Hastings at college and flipping out. "Wolverine can SING?"
@MightyMoCat
@MightyMoCat Ай бұрын
Pre 1980s..
@charlesveg
@charlesveg Ай бұрын
so true!
@MaryAnnAngros-fq9yy
@MaryAnnAngros-fq9yy Ай бұрын
Naturally!
@MaryAnnAngros-fq9yy
@MaryAnnAngros-fq9yy 23 күн бұрын
Yep, no question!
@marywagner9927
@marywagner9927 27 күн бұрын
Sound of music is easily #1! There will never be a better opening.
@loriloristuff
@loriloristuff 2 ай бұрын
True story: Went to school in the 60s where the order of religious sisters LOVED musicals. There were song sheets in the upper grade classrooms. On days of "inclement weather" sing-alongs were held instead of lunch recess over the PA system.
@ybmagpye
@ybmagpye 2 ай бұрын
I am envious of the students in that school!
@daniellebelisle2446
@daniellebelisle2446 3 ай бұрын
Les Mis and Wicked have stellar openings!
@Positivekitten
@Positivekitten 3 ай бұрын
But they are not pre-1980.
@BernardProfitendieu
@BernardProfitendieu 3 ай бұрын
no, they don't
@What_Makes_Climate_Tick
@What_Makes_Climate_Tick 3 ай бұрын
Wow! Comedy Tonight was an out-of-town addition? If so, a brilliant addition! I agree with another commenter that Prepare Ye is a great opener in Godspell.
@tracysteele7652
@tracysteele7652 3 ай бұрын
What about food glorious food from the musical oliver
@idrilaldarion8088
@idrilaldarion8088 3 ай бұрын
Is that an opening number?
@debcamptown6257
@debcamptown6257 3 ай бұрын
​@@idrilaldarion8088 Yes it the opening of Oliver
@paulcanaday-elliott9834
@paulcanaday-elliott9834 Ай бұрын
For the post-1980 list, I’d vote for “Good Morning, Baltimore” from Hairspray to be included. It brilliantly establishes the world we are about to enter and introduces us to the central character and what she wants.
@marksadams01
@marksadams01 3 ай бұрын
The 25-minute long "Into The Woods" opening.
@jwsel
@jwsel Ай бұрын
Into the Woods premiered in 1986. This list is pre-1980.
@SuzePrice
@SuzePrice 2 ай бұрын
Pippin is a longtime favorite, especially with Ben Vereen. Classic!
@AlyraMoondancer
@AlyraMoondancer 2 ай бұрын
I saw that production with my drama class when I was in high school. It was amazing! And Irene Ryan as Berthe was unforgettable. I loved that show.
@idrilaldarion8088
@idrilaldarion8088 3 ай бұрын
West Side Story is my favourite:)
@thespian3937
@thespian3937 3 ай бұрын
Into the Woods has always been my favourite
@oiooi6460
@oiooi6460 28 күн бұрын
This list is pre 1980
@Emily-gy2ef
@Emily-gy2ef 2 ай бұрын
On top of having a smashing opening number, both West Side Story and The Sound of Music have a scenic opening with the camera doing a high in the sky view of city sky scrapers and mountains before focusing in on a speck of ground where the story takes place! Opening view and song never to be forgotten!
@DanYHKim2
@DanYHKim2 Ай бұрын
Both make great use of location shots, and do great things with light and darkness.
@fthomasdigaetano3886
@fthomasdigaetano3886 3 ай бұрын
Sorry, I think a boat was missed by failing to include Comedy Tonight from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. It is an ensemble piece which lays out the show, whets appetites and acts as a theme.
@susanyoung5447
@susanyoung5447 2 ай бұрын
Being a child of the 60s and 70s, my favorite is definitely Superstar. My Mind is Clearer Now. For me, of course, it was the movie
@kathyastrom1315
@kathyastrom1315 2 ай бұрын
You mean Heaven on Their Minds. I’m the same general age as you. I grew up watching the film annually on Easter weekend when the local tv station showed it after the 10:00 news on Saturday night (the previous Saturday night before Palm Sunday was always Godspell). Mom would let us stay up late to watch it. Sis and I would spend the rest of the year wearing out our record of the soundtrack, arguing who got to sing Judas and who was stuck with Jesus. For my tenth birthday, I asked for tickets to see a national tour when it played Chicago in 1976.
@morticiaaddams7866
@morticiaaddams7866 2 ай бұрын
Yeah. The remake was good (Alice Cooper slayed his piece!), but the movie soundtrack was what I prefer
@Betty-qz5zd
@Betty-qz5zd Ай бұрын
Oh, I watched that movie over and over. I just loved it. "Could we try again, please?"
@billfisher9238
@billfisher9238 3 ай бұрын
the opening to RAGTIME. the intro of all the characters, classes and notable historical actors. plus brilliant music. also, 42nd STREET. the half-raised curtain where we meet those dancing feet.
@namewitheld2568
@namewitheld2568 23 күн бұрын
One of the best musicals ever. Too often overlooked
@mattperiolat
@mattperiolat 3 ай бұрын
Pre-80? Any Dream Will Do from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat should at least be considered I would think.
@tessat338
@tessat338 3 ай бұрын
I played a narrator in our teen theatre production of "Joseph." It's a challenging vocal role and we were teenagers, so the director split the role between three of us, my sister and a young lady who, even at 15 had an AMAZING vocal range and at 16, could hit those high As. 30+ years later, she's still doing theatre and has done some TV. My younger sister, also then 16, who had always been a fine actor and had played clarinet, literally found her beautiful alto voice over the previous winter's show. I, at 17, carried the middle with the mezzo-soprano. It was a fun trio with lots of vocal blending, back and forth, and interplay. Anyway, at the opening of the show, I was up on the stage-right scaffolding and there was a microphone over the railing out in front of me. During rehearsals, I often daydreamed about taking that mike and singing directly into it, but of course, we actors weren't to EVER touch any part of the sound system. In this 1980s evolution of the show, there was an introduction which was spoken by the stage manager from the sound booth. He was a more seasoned performer and had a deeper voice than any of the guys in the show. As the run went on, his mike began to get glitchy. Then my daydreams had a focus. I decided that, if his mike ever went out entirely, I'd just step up and say the show intro lines myself. I didn't tell anyone about my plan, I just made sure that I was ready to do it. Sure enough, the day finally came where his microphone crapped out. He shook his head. I took hold of the mike and spoke the lines. I was a little wobbly towards the end, but THE SHOW WENT ON. At intermission, he and the director thanked me for my quick thinking. I had to confess at that time, that it wasn't quick thinking at all. I had been plotting for the whole show to grab that mike at the first opportunity to present itself. I'd have done better if I had actually rehearsed the lines instead of just plotting, but I carried it off credibly, though without his gravitas. My breath control and phrasing weren't quite all there. I at least had made sure that the microphone was working during our sound checks. He is now married to our older sister, not to my younger sister who split the narrator role with me. At the time, my younger sister and I looked so much alike that in a photo of the show taken of us from the back, I actually got us confused. Our co-narrator called us her "bookends" since she started the show on the center stage scaffolding and my sister was on the stage-left scaffold. I'm still friends with our co-narrator, our Joseph, our Mrs. Potiphar, our Benjamin, and a bunch of the rest of that cast. The group still gets together for Christmas parties. The stage manager married into our family so I got to keep him as a relative without having to keep him happy.
@tessat338
@tessat338 3 ай бұрын
That microphone was like Macbeth's dagger or Ibsen's gun. I got fixated on it and just had to look for an opportunity to use it.
@BernardProfitendieu
@BernardProfitendieu 3 ай бұрын
🤢🤢🤮 considered: and rejected!!
@PrincessMeggala0913
@PrincessMeggala0913 3 ай бұрын
But that’s NOT the opening. It’s the Narrator singing……that’s probably why it wasn’t included…..
@tessat338
@tessat338 3 ай бұрын
@@PrincessMeggala0913 If I recall, it was a quote or a paraphrase from Genesis about Joseph and his brothers. But it was the cue for the band to start and for us to start in with "Any Dream Will Do." I'll have to go back and look at the video.
@RosieTheWickedFangirl2007
@RosieTheWickedFangirl2007 3 ай бұрын
My favourite classical musical is Joseph and the amazing Technicolor dream coat and my favourite Andrew Lloyd Webber show and Les Miserable is my mum’s absolute favourite musical ever
@AG-tj8ew
@AG-tj8ew 3 ай бұрын
Tradition! Love that musical.
@HeronCoyote1234
@HeronCoyote1234 3 ай бұрын
RIP Jerry Orbach.
@alyzu4755
@alyzu4755 3 ай бұрын
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@charlesveg
@charlesveg Ай бұрын
A true giant
@croupie8
@croupie8 Ай бұрын
Surely Wouldn’t It Be Loverly from any Fair lady should be in there !! It’s amazing !!
@oiooi6460
@oiooi6460 28 күн бұрын
Except that the opening number is "Why can't the English"
@mikkibaker6907
@mikkibaker6907 Ай бұрын
It's "West Side Story", hands down. But I'm tossing in a request for you to bend the rules a bit. When Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote "Carousel," they did something new and different. Instead of opening with a musical medley of songs from the show, they really opened with "The Carousel Waltz," which was one of the finest dance segments of the show. So, not "just" music.
@carmens1793
@carmens1793 3 ай бұрын
When I was 14 years old I watched Jesus Christ Superstar a lot my dad brought the VHS that was my Favorite ❤️
@BernardProfitendieu
@BernardProfitendieu 3 ай бұрын
yeah, it's for 14 year olds
@techone72893
@techone72893 3 ай бұрын
JCS has been my favorite for 50 years. I was a little kid when it came out and I had a copy of the Original Cast Recording with Ian Gillan. When the movie came out, I watched it at every opportunity I could until the VHS version came out. I was lucky enough to meet Ted Neeley at a movie premier in 2015. He told me they would be touring the country with a new digital version of the film. My wife and I got VIP tickets to one of the screenings which included a meet and greet before the show with Ted, Barry Dennen, and Kurt Yaghjian. The VIP experience we got also allowed us to sit with Ted in between us during the screening. He was like a little kid, constantly nudging me and telling me BTS stuff that had happened during some scenes. I was actually in tears for the first five minutes of the showing because of how much the experience meant to me. Ted was one of the nicest people you will ever meet. I'm also surprised that the opening number was only an honorable mention considering how the entire show was so groundbreaking.
@BernardProfitendieu
@BernardProfitendieu 3 ай бұрын
@@techone72893 oh, dear! do we have a doctor in the house?
@brucemccallum5153
@brucemccallum5153 29 күн бұрын
You missed the most audacious opening. Can you imagine opening a broadway musical with a lullaby? Summertime. From Porgy and Bess.
@lisag9752
@lisag9752 Ай бұрын
You did a beautiful job describing these Ms Mojo!
@masterbuilder2856
@masterbuilder2856 Ай бұрын
Circle of Life. - The Lion King Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats - Cats Hello - The Book of Mormon
@donsandsii4642
@donsandsii4642 3 ай бұрын
Part 2 1980 to 2000 musical openings?
@leighfinner7959
@leighfinner7959 2 ай бұрын
The overture to Nine. Guido sits center stage as each of the women in his life enter, first talking and then the sound slowly became music and Guido stands, stops them then conducts the women. It was beautiful and stunning.
@pipepotter
@pipepotter Ай бұрын
The opening number of "Company" should be included in this list. One of the top 3, without a doubt! And "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" is my number ONE of all times, those harmonies, those soprano parts, those bass, the arrangement, the fact that it's telling the whole story, and you want to hear more... and you can hear the motiv throughout the entire show... it's perfection!
@drcorydc1
@drcorydc1 Ай бұрын
The opening of A Chorus Line is among the best. (I'm biased, having performed in the show)
@stvp68
@stvp68 3 ай бұрын
I love that I Hope I Get It starts with 5 6 7 8, but the dance music is actually only in 6 (4+2)
@monahubbard2354
@monahubbard2354 2 ай бұрын
Adam Lambert is now playing the Emcee in Cabaret and he's phenomenal! I just saw it a week ago and am going back in November!
@karenfitzgerald6308
@karenfitzgerald6308 Ай бұрын
There are so many...thanks for this and you could do many more lists of them:).
@denisefreitas6727
@denisefreitas6727 3 ай бұрын
Aquarius, The Hills are Alive and West Side Story prologue are my favorites.
@einahsirro1488
@einahsirro1488 3 ай бұрын
I really like the opening of Little Shop of Horrors, but the stage musical came out in 1982 and, sadly, missed your deadline.
@daletrecartin1563
@daletrecartin1563 3 ай бұрын
'Comedy Tonight' should have rated a number rather than a mention.
@manuelorozco7760
@manuelorozco7760 3 ай бұрын
My high school did Forum as their spring show in my junior year! I didn’t expect to get a kick out of it
@TheGiacchina
@TheGiacchina Ай бұрын
Excellent choices!
@WillScarlet16
@WillScarlet16 3 ай бұрын
Oscar Hammerstein said that if you get the opening number right, you can read from the phone book for two hours and the audience will have a good time.
@manuelorozco7760
@manuelorozco7760 3 ай бұрын
Wise words. And I believe Whistle A Happy Tune was the first time he proved me right
@cedgson91
@cedgson91 3 ай бұрын
How dare you put heaven on their minds & ballad of Sweeney Todd in honourable mentions They deserve their own place 😮
@Djynni
@Djynni 3 ай бұрын
Fun to see Jerry Orbach in a musical. My favorite is Sound of Music. No voice like Julie Andrews.
@marksadams01
@marksadams01 3 ай бұрын
He was in the original cast of "Promises, Promises" too.
@Peter-z9t
@Peter-z9t 3 ай бұрын
Also outstanding in "42nd Street"--his musical theater career was overshadowed by his later television work.
@henrywilloughby2327
@henrywilloughby2327 2 ай бұрын
You showed Heaven on their Minds, didn't show Carl Anderson, AND didn't even wait for the part where he yells JEEEEEEESUS. That's just wrong.
@jeanninewenner7210
@jeanninewenner7210 17 күн бұрын
"Bless your beautiful hide" is still the most unusual words in an opening song!! 🤣🤣🤣 My kids just were joking about it to this day!!
@bobmathis-friedman6742
@bobmathis-friedman6742 Ай бұрын
I like Good Morning, Baltimore, from Hairspray
@jwsel
@jwsel Ай бұрын
Hairspray is not a pre-1980 musical.
@xavierbu
@xavierbu 2 ай бұрын
Prologue from Ragtime is one of my favorite ones.
@riaglitta
@riaglitta 2 ай бұрын
Ahhhh so happy you used Ute Lemper's performance of "All That Jazz" - she was amaziiiiiiinnnnnggggggg
@shaliseshaw9385
@shaliseshaw9385 3 ай бұрын
Pippin, Sweeney Todd(The Ballad Of Sweeney Todd), Cats(Jellicle Songs), On The Town, Evita, Rent, Carousel, South Pacific, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, and other musicals should've been on the list. 🚖🚖🚖🚖🚖🚖🚔🚔🚔🚔🚔🎟️🎟️🎟️🎟️🎭🎭🎭🎭🎶🎶🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵
@BernardProfitendieu
@BernardProfitendieu 3 ай бұрын
Cats - you're sarcasm is delicious!! Carousel opening is an instrumental which she said were not considered, Cinderella was not a pre-1980 B'way debut, it was written for television, only came to B'way after many decades
@stulewis6651
@stulewis6651 3 ай бұрын
I hope that you are referring to the Broadway version of "On the Town" and not the horrible film version. The brilliance of the show's opening is that it starts at about 5:55 am with a slow number ("I feel like I'm not out of bed, yet") and then the town comes to life five minutes later. "Pippin" was included on the list.
@hcastropcompton6174
@hcastropcompton6174 25 күн бұрын
I like all of these but would've included Rock Island. It's iconic.
@Aidankiwi
@Aidankiwi Ай бұрын
Can’t believe there is no mention of “Oh what a circus!” from Evita.
@MatteBlack2024
@MatteBlack2024 3 ай бұрын
Good review. My favorite is the opening of Hair, the Forman film. That was not interspersed with the Hair entry here as were other more recent films, e.g., Chicago.
@stvp68
@stvp68 3 ай бұрын
The movie version has great choreography too
@stvp68
@stvp68 3 ай бұрын
The movie version has great choreography too
@kathyastrom1315
@kathyastrom1315 2 ай бұрын
@@stvp68 Done by the amazing Twyla Tharp!
@carolynward5567
@carolynward5567 9 күн бұрын
Tradition will always be my favorite. I did Fiddler when I was in high school.
@elizabethbredin8707
@elizabethbredin8707 24 күн бұрын
The Music Man, Hello Dolly, Oliver all deserve a place for their spectacular opening numbers.🎉
@GlennSearle-qk6he
@GlennSearle-qk6he Ай бұрын
The opening of Ragtime is perfection. It was the music of something beginning. An era exploding. A century spinning. In riches and rags and in rhythm and rime. And people called it ragtime.
@denyseleonard240
@denyseleonard240 Ай бұрын
I saw that version of Pippin on the pre-opening at the Musicbox theatre in NYC. The circus acts made it magical.
@suzannelevy1647
@suzannelevy1647 15 күн бұрын
You missed 42nd St.! Just the way the curtain comes up on just the feet makes it amazing!
@LaLayla99
@LaLayla99 3 ай бұрын
"All That Jazz" ♥️
@WendyArias-g9z
@WendyArias-g9z 18 күн бұрын
My favorite will always be Westside Story!❤❤❤
@davemoore1233
@davemoore1233 3 ай бұрын
Is that Hugh Jackman in "Oklahoma"?
@davemoore1233
@davemoore1233 3 ай бұрын
And Bebe Neuwirth in "All That Jazz".
@michalfineman391
@michalfineman391 Ай бұрын
West Side Story's opening is genius. Second place, though, needs to go to Guys and Dolls.
@marilynbrown6711
@marilynbrown6711 Ай бұрын
A Funny Thing Happened….👍🏼
@Music_is_Breathing
@Music_is_Breathing 2 ай бұрын
Great picks! Favorite "Caberet"
@sarahramsey9454
@sarahramsey9454 3 ай бұрын
chicago all that jazz and sound of music fun but catchy tunes that'll have you dancing singing and re watch them over cause you liked them from the beginning to end
@cyirvine6300
@cyirvine6300 26 күн бұрын
Om. You talked thru ALL the great music.
@Mona07452
@Mona07452 Ай бұрын
For post-1980’s openings, it would have to be The Book of Mormon’s ”Hello.”
@jwpaulson2360
@jwpaulson2360 Ай бұрын
Can't deny the power of the opening of West Side Story. I would place the opening of Chorus Line much higher .... but that's just me.
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