Audra McDonald's (haunting) laugh at the end of "Sarah Brown Eyes" on the OBCR of RAGTIME.
Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
Bare In the title song: "That I LOVE YOOOUUU and I loved you from the start..." and the buildup before it. Goosebumps. (Pretty much the entire song gives me goosebumps).
Book of Mormon Spooky Mormon Hell Dream: "I can't believe Jesus called me a DICK!" Oh my god, it's hysterical. That recording is one the funniest things I've ever heard.
Bye Bye Birdie Honestly Sincere: "HUG ME! Suffer!" I don't know why but it makes me laugh every time.
A Chorus Line OBC At The Ballet: Maggie's final "...at the BAAAALLLEEEEEEEEETT!" It makes me tear up.
Company Revival Getting Married Today: All of it. Just all of it. Especially the whispered "...and don't tell Paul." Genius.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Love Is My Legs: "My legs are full of LOVE!" This entire song is hilarious, especially on stage.
The Drowsy Chaperone I Am Adolpho: "I'd do it now but it would take HOURS." I die! Plus, the entire show.
Funny Girl OBC People: The final "...are the luckiest people in the world." Guh, just the entire phrase is breathtaking, I love how soft it is.
Guys and Dolls 1992 Revival Marry the Man Today: "Now doesn't that kind of apply to you and I?" "You and MEEEEE" "...whatever." How she says "whatever" kills me.
Gypsy 2008 Revival: If Momma Was Married: The harmonies in the entire song are amazing, especially on "...what's one more or LESS?"
Hair Revival The Flesh Failures/Eyes Look Your Last/Let the Sun Shine In: Whenever the tribe comes in with "eyes look your last" and Gavin is singing "...across the Atlantic sea, and I'm a genius genius..." I just think all of it is so beautiful. I'd put the entire recording as one of my favorite moments, it's astounding.
In the Heights Breathe: "The neighborhood waved and said, Nina, be brave and you're gonna be fine, and maybe it's me, but it all seems like lifetimes ago..." The whole song makes me cry.
Into the Woods OBC Giants In the Sky: ALL OF IT! Especially "...the roof, the house, and the world you never thought to explore..." Haunting.
Legally Blonde Finale: It's so lame but I LOVE the proposal, especially Emmett's "oh my oh my oh my gooodddddd!"
The Light In the Piazza In the title song, where Kelli sings "...and then it grows, and then it fills the air, who knows what you call it, I don't care..." I love that entire part, shes sounds incredible.
Next To Normal Who's Crazy: Not sure why, but I've always loved the part where JRP sings "...and IIIII was a wild 25..." I think I love the emphasis he puts on the "I" in the phrases.
The Producers ST (not a recording but shhh) Keep It Gay: The "He's having a stroke." "What?!" "OF GENIUS!" is one of my favorite things ever.
Reefer Madness ST (also not a recording, I know) The Stuff (Reprise): "You once had all the brains, now they're just CARPET STAAAAAIIINS! You're in no SHAAAPE TOOOO FIIIIGHT!" I just want to cheer or something, it's so badass.
Rent OBC I'll Cover You (Reprise): Jesse just kills it on "when your HEEEAAARRRT has expired" and it's gorgeous.
Sunday In the Park With George OBC Move On: "Anything you do, let it come from you...then it will be new...give us more to see." It makes me cry.
Sweeney Todd Revival The Ballad of Sweeney Todd: I love how Michael sings "What happened then, well that's the play and he wouldn't want to give it away." So perfectly creepy.
[title of show] Two Nobodies In New York: "TV actors in our show what could be SWEE-AH-TUH!" Such a great joke.
Urinetown Run Freedom Run: "Freedom is SCAAARY. It's a blast of cool wind that burns your face to wake you up." "Literally?" "Yes." I laugh every time.
I should probably stop. Updated On: 8/16/11 at 01:26 AM
LOVE the ending of the "I Am The One (Reprise)" from NEXT TO NORMAL, when Dan says "Gabe? Gabriel" and Gabe responds, "Hi Dad." I get the chills EVERYTIME.
Side Show - during Tunnel of Love. The buildup in the middle of the song...Emily:"I am yours..you are mine....its a sin...its divine..." Alice: "I want miine..." Emily: "so diviiine" Alice: "WHERE IS MIIIINE!!!" Major chills everytime. Alice sure did have a belt on her, didn't she? You can hear the emotion in her voice...it's just f'ing amazing.
I definitely agree with the Side Show sentiment - "Where is mine?!" is probably my favorite moment on any cast recording ever. Her belt was so beautiful and strong.
There are a lot of moments on the new Hair cast recording that really get me. When the tribe sings 'Freedooooom' under Claude's 'Tell me why' at the end of Where Do I Go... It's so powerful. At the beginning of Three Five Zero Zero when Kacie Sheik wails "Ripped open by metal explosion", it gives me chills every time. The entire song reduces me to tears.
On the Next to Normal cast recording - "It only hurts when I breathe, it only hurts when I try..." is my favorite part of the show (besides the end of Light).
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson - The entire song is fantastic, but in The Corrupt Bargain; "I'm the president!"
In TL5Y, I love when Sherie sings "...belting as high as they can!" in Climbing Uphill.
On the Passion CR, "I read to live, to get away from life". Donna Murphy is flawless on that recording.
"I will not cease from mental fight, nor shall my sword sleep in my hand: Till we have built Jerusalem in England's green and pleasant land."
I really enjoy everything on "The Light in the Piazza" cast recording. It is a beautiful score. I also love when Jesse Tyler Ferguson says "How do you shut this thing off?" at the end of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling-Bee" recording. It is the little things i like.
Aida: The last 40 seconds or so of "Every Story is a Love Story Reprise"...especially when the when they add the top octave on the very last note. Made me tear up when I saw the show.
Beauty and the Beast: The low strings/piano in the entracte around 1:25, under the "If I Can't Love Her Melody". I also love the solo horn when Belle is reading to the Beast towards the end of "Something There"
Book of Mormon: When the bass comes in after "land of gnomes and trolls" in Two By Two. "You remember Lucifer? He is even spookier!"
Catch Me If You Can: The end of "My Favorite Time of Year"...and all of "Goodbye"
Company: Love the piano intro to "Another Hundred People" from the 2006 revival...aside from that, I can't stand those orchestrations. The strings during the last verse of "Being Alive" from the OBCR.
Hair: The harmonies in "What A Piece of Work Is Man"
H2$: The horn during "I Believe In You"
In the Heights: Any time there's counterpoint...especially during the finale (like everyone else mentioned". I also love when it's just the two girls singing "the hydrants are open" right after Usnavi stops rapping.
The Last Five Years: Everything. Especially the piano "riff" during "Nobody Needs to Know" (first heard at 2:10)
The Light in the Piazza: Again, everything. I'm so in love with this score.
Lion King: The interlude during "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"...I was really upset when I saw the show and it wasn't included!
Next to Normal: The piano solo during "I've Been" with the guys going "heyy, wooo" over it. The last few notes of "A Light In the Dark" All of the "Hey"s I love how, in the actual show, the piano speeds up going into "It's Gonna Be Good Reprise" The transition from "So Anyway" to "I Am the One Reprise" kills me every time.
Parade: The instrumental section at the end of "All the Wasted Time"...gorgeous
Ragtime: Somehow the low strings during "Journey On" sound both empowering and ominous at the same time...no idea how they do it, but I love it. As far as I'm concerned, "Back to Before" is perfection
Rent: "When they act tough, you call their bluff". I don't care for the line itself, but I love the way it sounds. On the movie soundtrack (don't judge), I love how "I Should Tell You" has more of a lilt to it...and I love the strings in it.
Spring Awakening: The "oh my Gods" leading up to the second verse in "Touch Me". Counterpoint during "Those You've Known"
Sunday in the Park With George" All of "Sunday", especially the horn at the end
Wicked: "Born to be foreverrr" during "Dancing Through Life".
I know it's not a cast album, but the piano solo during "Say the Word" on Kerrigan & Lowdermilk's album is phenomenal
Bare: the end of "One" with the stunning harmonies. And "Father, we were so in love- and that's what I find so odd, our love was pure and nothing else brought me closer to God" in Absolution. Rent: "the heart may freeze, or it can burn. the pain will ease, if I can learn" from Another Day Legally Blonde: "ah ah ah ah ah MUCH better" from So Much Better- just always makes me giggle. And the harmonies in "oh my God" after "please make me the happiest woman I know" in Find My Way. N2N: "Hi, dad" in I Am The One (Reprise). BoM: "two by two we march..." at the end of Two By Two- I listen to it over and over. Also "you remember Lucifer, he is even SPOOKier" is the absolute funniest line :) Catch Me: the first minute of "Someone Else's Skin" is just beautiful and heartbreaking. Love the way Aaron's voice sounds on it. It reminds me of "There's A World" from N2N... Spring Awakening: not from the OBC, but there's a youtube video of Hunter Parrish rehearsing Left Behind, and the way he sings the word "touch" in "can't help the itch to touch, to kiss" kills me.
THERE ARE SO MANY. Updated On: 8/17/11 at 10:03 AM
The Wedding Singer: The way Laura Benanti says, "Okay" during "Someday" makes me giggle.
Chicago OBC: M. O'Haughey's final A-flat in "A Little Bit of Good." He holds it FOREVER. He has a glorious soubrette quality that makes phrases and trills sound like they're dipped in sugar.
Jekyll and Hyde: Robert Couccioli's evil laugh in "Transformation" The first time I heard it, I was in bed, in the dark, in a hotel room. I jumped so badly that my legs kicked the blanket off me. CREEPY.
Edit:
Rock of Ages- The line "What's goin' down, Home-Listeners?" Clever.
Aida: The final chords that end Elaborate Lives. So beautiful and echo the melody of the last lines of of the song.
Beauty and the Beast: The haunting first part of the prologue, repeated throughout the score but especially noticeable here
Book of Mormon: Rory O'Malley screaming "Crush it!!!" in Turn It Off. I crack up every time
Catch Me: The key change and final verse of Goodbye. Also Norbert's "He's a kid..." at the end of My Favorite Time of Year
Hairspray: Blood on the Pavement. Hilarious hidden track!
In the Heights: Like many others have said, "The hydrants are open" section
Hair: Too many to list but have to love the end of Let the Sun Shine and the moment when Gavin calls out "I'm here!"
Next to Normal: The moment when Dan says Gabe's name, of course. Natalie's piano solo. And "The medicine failed and the doctors lied" in I'm Alive Reprise- something in Aaron's voice at that line
Phantom: the cadenza at the end of Think of Me.
Rent: I'll Cover You Reprise when Seasons of Love comes in as counterpoint. And the mooing :)
Spring Awakening: Lea and Jonathan's harmonies in The Word of Your Body. The last verse if Mirror Blue Night. And the countermelodies in Don't Do Sadness/Blue Wind and Those You've Known
Wicked: Idina and Kristin's key change and harmony in the middle of Defuing Gravity. "It's up that I fell" in As Long As You're Mine. And the last verse of For Good
Sweeney Todd (2005 Revival)- Johanna (3). SO GOOD. Evita - Every time LuPone sings Taboo - Pie in the Sky (from the OLC). I just love that song. Miss Saigon - In "This Money's Yours," I love the entire "Do you want one more tale of a Vietnam girl?..." sequence. I cry. Every time. Baby -"The Story Goes On" That song is perfection under Liz Callaway. I also love how it was orchestrated. Book of Mormon - In "Turn It Off," when Rory says "CRUSH IT!" In "Man Up": "Time to battle darkness, you're not my father!" is the sex for SciFi and Broadway nerds like myself. In "Sal Tlay Ka Siti": "Soon, life won't be so ****ty." So funny and heartbreaking at the same time. In "Tomorrow is a Latter Day" - I love the "I Believe"s. I especially love "Tomorrow's a doper, phatter latter day!" WotV: In "Invisible": "Or the screams of a woman left incomplete!" just kills me everytime. Carousel (OBC): Soliloquy Carousel (1994 Revival): In "June is Bustin' Out All Over", I love the way Audra says "Every lady fish is wishin'" Allegro (2008 Studio Cast): Judy Kuhn's rendition of "So Far" is absolutely perfect. Annie Get Your Gun (1999 Revival): I'm obsessed with the way Bernadette pronounces "there's" in "There's No Business Like Show Business." It sounds like she's saying "thAHrs no business..." Anyone Can Whistle (Carnegie Concert) - "Come Play Wiz Me" is hilarious to me. Avenue Q: S-C-H-A-D-E-N-F-R-E-U-D-E! Company (OBC): Great songs in general. I particularly love "Ladies Who Lunch" Company (2006 Revival): I like the Ladies Who Lunch in this revival, too. Follies (OBC): I don't know why, but I love each and every song in it. Into the Woods (OBC): I wish "Giants in the Sky" and "Moments in the Woods" were their own tracks. I love those songs so much. Little Night Music (OBC) - I love all of Desiree's witty asides in "You Must Meet My Wife"
Chess OBC- in Terrace Duet when Judy Kuhn sings "'Maybe I'm on nobody's side" The way it builds up to that phrase. I love it!
Sunday in the Park with George- When Bernadette sings "No you are complete George"
Urinetown- Nancy Opel belting her face off in Privilege to Pee
2000 off-broadway Godspell- Leslie Kritzer singing the second verse of Learn Your Lessons Well. So good!
The Marvelous Wonderettes- at the end of With This Ring when Farah Alvin goes up the octive belting "I promise I'll always love you! Always love you!"
[Title of Show]- The final chorus of Die Vampire Die when Heidi does a tiny vocal riff in the harmony on the words "with life". It makes me smile every time as small as it is :)
In the Book of Mormon, I'm in love with Andrew Rannells' "mostly MEEEEE" that follows Josh Gad's "we'll make tomorrow a latter day" during You and Me (But Mostly Me)!