I know this was an old thread that was bumped, but since it was just done, what about the ocarina in Call Me Madam?
Another show that was just done at Encores!, Big River, features fairly extensive use of the Jew’s harp.
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
the brass kazoo said: "The quintessential banjo score is ROBBER BRIDEGROOM."
I was about to say that Bright Star would fight you on that, but then realized that this original comment was from 2015, lol.
Speaking of theremin, Be More Chill is the first show I've seen to list it in the orchestration, though I've only started paying close attention to orchestrations in the last 4-5 years, so it's probably not the actual first.
The Lion King and "Generations" in Children of Eden both feature an onstage "African band" playing polyrhythmic hand percussion.
Fun fact: I appeared as a Storyteller and "Generations" soloist in the Guiness World Record production of Children of Eden over the weekend, and was in charge of putting together the "African band" despite not playing a member of the Noah family, just because I was the one who had the instruments and we were strapped for time.
Stumbled upon this old thread randomly, wanted to add the prominent harmonica solo in "The Dance of the Golden Crock" from FINIAN'S RAINBOW, as wonderfully performed by Guy Davis in the last revival.
Words don't deserve that kind of malarkey. They're innocent, neutral, precise, standing for this, describing that, meaning the other, so if you look after them you can build bridges across incomprehension and chaos. But when they get their corners knocked off, they're no good anymore…I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.
JudyDenmark said: "Speaking of theremin, Be More Chillis the first show I've seen to list it in the orchestration, though I've only started paying close attention to orchestrations in the last 4-5 years, so it's probably not the actual first."
I think Charlie Rosen (the orchestrator of Be More Chill said in an interview that BMC was the first Broadway show to have a real theremin (as opposed to a synth patch) in the orchestra.
icecreambenjamin said: "The Clarinet in Caroline, or Change. I understand that a lot of shows use the clarinet, but I've never heard it used so prominently."
WhizzerMarvin TrinaJasonMendel said: "I always think of A Weekend in the Country when someone mentions the french horn. As for the banjo, the ultimate number must be Money to Burn from Half a Sixpence. As I understand Tommy Steele was an expert banjo player so they wrote him a specialty number to show off his skills. The number is pure delight on the OBCR. "
Whilst it was probably written to show off Tommy Steele's skills, in Kipps, he does actually go out and buy a banjo!