Help! What are Your Favorite Opening Songs From Musicals?- Page 3

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 2/11/15 at 8:04pm

I'm sure it's been mentioned above, but the opening AND closing of LI'L ABNER do amazing jobs of introducing and typing up (respectively) a dozen or more characters and as many plots and subplots.

[peacelovemagic1]

Posted: 2/11/15 at 9:59pm

Most of my favorites have already been mentioned, but here are a few more!
Tear Me Down-Hedwig
Come Look At The Freaks-Side Show
Everybody's Got the Right- Assassins
Belle from Beauty and the Beast

[Michael Kras]

Posted: 2/11/15 at 10:16pm

It All Comes Back - Fun Home
Company - Company
Prologue - Into the Woods
The Hill - Spoon River
The Old Red Hills of Home - Parade
Something to Be Proud Of - Adding Machine
Beautiful - Heathers
To Build a Home - Bridges of Madison County
Prologue - Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
The Ballad of Floyd Collins - Floyd Collins
Aurelia Dolores - Giant
Just Another Day - Next to Normal
In the Heights - In the Heights
We Are What We Are - La Cage aux Folles
Miracle - Matilda
Mama Who Bore Me - Spring Awakening
The Ballad of Mack the Knife - The Threepenny Opera

[AHLiebross]

Posted: 2/11/15 at 11:23pm

No one has mentioned "Camelot," with Guinivere's prayer to Saint Genevieve to rescue her from the marriage to Arthur. (At least I THINK that's the opening).

I, too, love "Tradition," which explains the culture and sets up the story.

No one has mentioned the opening of "Les Miz," with the prisoners performing hard labor. I think that "Look Down" perfectly shows the despair of the men, as well as sets up the ongoing tug of war between Javert and JVJ.

I really love the opening of the Broadway (not the touring) version of POTO, where the auction sets up the "bang" and the chandelier's rise, but that's not really an opening number -- for one thing, Raoul has sung his monkey song already.

Finally, I think the reworked version of "Love Never Dies," presented in Australia (not the London version), has a fantastic opening number: "Till I Hear You Sing." That song allows us to see the Phantom's lonely, sensitive side, which never happens in the "prequel." (Note to those who have recently become theater fans and may not be aware of this, but "Love Never Dies" is the sequel to POTO.)

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 2/12/15 at 12:32am

according to our group the "best opening song" from musicals mentioned most and number of mentions are:

1) Tradition-Fiddler 6
2) The Old Red Hills of Home-Parade 5
3) Magic to Do-Pippin 5
4) All That Jazz-Chicago 4
5) Another Opnin, Another Show-Kiss me Kate 4
6) Audition-42nd st 4
7) Carousel Waltz-Carousel 4
I Hope I Get It-Chorus Line 4
9) Ragtime-Ragtime 4
10) Summertime- Porgy & Bess 4
11) Aquarious-Hair 3
12) Comedy Tonight-Something Funny Happened 3
13) Company-Company 3
14) Fugue for Tinhorns-Guys & Dolls 3
15) Oh, What a Beautiful Morning-Oklahoma 3
16) Prologue-Into the Woods-Into the Woods 3
17) Walk Him up the Stairs-Purlie 3

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/12/15 at 1:15pm

"A Great Night For A Murder" from Stop! You're Killing Me"

[Larcen26]

Posted: 2/12/15 at 4:42pm

I think that Ahrens & Flaherty write some of the best opening numbers of all time...so just add all of theirs...

I am a huge fan of Opening numbers too...I don't generally include Overtures, but opening instrumental numbers are often as integral to the show as any other more traditional Opening Number.

Some fall in between being an Overture and an Opening Number...like the Prologue in City of Angels, or the similar piece in "A Little Night Music", or "Runyonland" from Guys and Dolls.

But some of my favorite opening numbers are:

"Twenty Million People" - My Favorite Year
"We Dance" - Once On This Island
"Prologue" - West Side Story
"Carousel Waltz" - Carousel
"Ragtime" - Ragtime
"Company" - Company
"Do You Wanna Go to Heaven?" - Big River
"Tradition" - Fiddler on the Roof
"All that Jazz" - Chicago
"Wilkommen" - Cabaret
"Ballad of Sweeney Todd" - Sweeney Todd
"I Hope I Get It" - Chorus Line
"Comedy Tonight" - Forum
"Magic to Do" - Pippin
"In the Heights" - In the Heights

And so on, and so on....

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 2/14/15 at 12:45am

Hey Everybody

What about Your favorite opening numbers for Musicals from the 2000s to present?
They seem pretty under represented on the posts overall.

My favorites include

American Idiot American Idiot
Be the Hero Big Fish
Every Story Is A Love Story/ Aida
Fortune Favors The Brave
Good Morning Baltimore Hairspray
Hello! Book of Mormon
Here Right Now Ghost
Just Another Day Next to Normal
Live In Living Color Catch Me if you can
No One Mourns The Wicked Wicked
Omigod You Guys Legally Blonde
Opening Night The Producers
The Last Real Record Store High Fidelity
Two Worlds Tarzan
When You're An Addams Addams Family

Love the inputs and grateful-have a seventy song opener playlist thats AWESOME
thanks to all your suggestions so far!

[SNAFU]

Posted: 2/14/15 at 10:39am

Isn't Esta Fuego, the opening number of Man of La Mancha, followed by the Inquisition theme?

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 2/14/15 at 11:54am

wiki and the original cast album list song order for Man of La Mancha as:
1)overture
2)man of La mancha

Ive never been lucky enough to see this show performed life, waiting for the next revival!

I personally think of the the opener the first song after overture or prologue; other members considered and listed the overture or prologue AS their fav opening, which is of course just as valid (like Carousel Waltz and Overture/Audition in 42nd street)

what are your fav openers member SNAFU?

Updated On: 2/16/15 at 11:54 AM

[luvcaroline]

Posted: 2/14/15 at 10:30pm

For me, Prologue (Little Shop of Horrors) must be very near the top. It's thrilling on stage(even the last revival) and it's the best opening of a movie musical ever.

[Soozie]

Posted: 2/14/15 at 11:41pm

This doesn't truly answer the OP's question, but it brings to my mind about 14 years or so ago, when my now adult daughter, a professional singer/actor, was spending one of her many summers of her youth at Stagedoor Manor. That summer, there was a guest director who staged an original revue he created. The show was titled, Another Openin' Another Show, and it consisted of 40 original opening numbers from various musicals, with a lot of the original choreography and so forth. The director/choreographer was David Connolly, who is simply amazing. The show was truly fantastic.

[luvbrdway]

Posted: 2/15/15 at 5:48pm

I always turn up the volume and sing along to "I Know It's Today". From Shrek.

I also really like whole intro by the narrator in "Joseph".

Updated On: 2/17/15 at 05:48 PM

[ZiggyCringe]

Posted: 2/15/15 at 7:03pm

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the opening number of "Jesus Christ
Superstar." It's my fave.

That guitar riff that opens the song is goosebump inducing, and then the first lyric (one of Tim Rice's best ever) comes in, when Judas sings: "My mind is clearer now."

[Ravzie]

Posted: 2/16/15 at 12:21pm

Tear Me Down from Hedwig, unless you are excluding rock music.

[RENT_is_Wicked2]

Posted: 2/16/15 at 10:30pm

Good Morning Baltimore- Hairspray
Circle of Life- Lion King
Ragtime- Ragtime
We Are What We Are- La Cage Aux Folles
Populism, Yea, Yea- Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Underground- Memphis
Old Red Hills of Home- Parade
Magic To Do- Pippin

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 5/19/15 at 3:35am

well i can add "welcome to the Renaissance" from Something Rotten

to my list of favorite opening songs....

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 5/19/15 at 3:58am

One of my favorite is The Vaudeville of LaChiusa's Wild Party. Technically three songs, but together hey form the opening sequence, if that makes sense. And they were listed together in the playbill, so I think it counts. Queenie Was A Blonde sets up the action with the men watching a vaudeville show starting the gorgeous Queenie. Marie is Tricky introduces Burrs and his minstrel act. Wild Party provides great exposition and sets up the entire show, as well as being a fantastic song - I listen to 2:33 trough the end of the song on the OBC constantly.

Perfect for that show, especially at Wolfe's hands.

[KnewItWhenIWasInFron]

Posted: 5/19/15 at 10:47pm

"I Hope I Get It" for me.

(I do agree that "Circle of Life" may be the best opening of any musical, although I don't love the rest of that show. But -- for me, at least -- it's not the song, as the title of this thread seems to be asking for, but Julie Taymor's incredible staging that makes it incredible.)

[gcal]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 12:15am

Maltby and Shire wrote some excellent opening numbers:

Can't Wait from Big

We Start Today from Baby

 

Tons of energy, establish the characters and their world.