THE BROADWAY OVERTURE

[Theatrical Landladies]

Posted: 8/28/05 at 11:54pm

I am a big fan of the overture. Love all the obvious ones like GYPSY and CANDIDE but can someone tell me who actually writes or constructs the overture? Is it the composer or the arranger or someone else?

[hypertruffle]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 12:19am

The orchestrator. They're usually the one who arrange the score for the pit orchestra.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 1:17am

On a 1958 Columbia Lp of Broadway Overtures, conductor Lehman Engle explains a bit about how an Overture gets constructed.

Although it is the first item heard it is always the very last item to be assembled. The orchestrator meets with composer, producer, director and they try to select the songs that would most likely have a life outside the show, the songs that work best orchestral, and also avoiding a song heard too early in the program after the Overture. Once the 3-6 songs are selected the orchestrator must arrange into a medley, creating connecting lines and transitions. It is very last minute an often the copyists must work overtime to get the parts ready for the first performance. When he wrote these notes in 1958 most shows still went out-of-town for try-outs and he commented that sometimes a song featured in the Overture was cut and it had to be removed from the Overture. Or, sometimes an un-expected song became a hit and sometime the Overture was reworked to include it. And often time and money would run out so the Overture had to stand as it was. (For the post-Broadway, Richard Rodgers had the Overture altered to include "I enjoy being a girl.")

There was a time when EVERY Broadway show opened with a full 4-5 minute Overture. Today, it's just a short prelude that segues right into the opening number. I think shows do move faster now, but what we have lost!

Can anyone name a current Broadway show that has a full, stand alone Overture?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 1:33am

The Phantom of the Opera.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 1:43am

No, POTO does not have a stand alone overture. In fact it begins with the auction scene, then during what is called an Overture, the famous organ theme peels forth. But that's really just a prologue: Not an overture in the traditional sense stringing together several melodies from teh score concert suite style.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 1:47am

Sweet Charity.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 1:51am

Does the revival of CHARITY use the full Overture? Or has it been shortened and abridged?

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 1:55am

The Producers has one, right?

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 1:59am

The original CHARITY overture is brilliant and underrated.

The revival cuts "Where Am I Going?" and "I'm A Brass Band" from the overture, which is dissapointing. But the rest of the overture hasn't been changed.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 2:03am

Thanls Ljay!

And, eat, THE PRODUCERS doesn't actually use the full Overture in the theatre. (They did at the out-of-town try-out but cut it down to just the opening 30 seconds to segue into "Opening Night" in the Broadway production. If any show really needs a full Overture, it would be PRODUCERS.) However, They did include the full Overture on the cast album.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 2:06am

if i remember correctly as well... didn't the Fully Monty have one and DRS have one right now??

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 2:26am

Good question. Both FULL MONTY and DRS have tracks on the cast albums labelled Overture, but these are both just short preludes that lead into the first scene. What I am referring to is the traditional stand alone Overture, a medley of tunes from the show, with a beginning, middle and end that is played in full BEFORE the show. (Like the Overtures for GYPSY, or OKLAHOMA!)

[C is for Company]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 2:41am

West side's is beautiful and Anything Goes is OK, nothing great

[Theatrical Landladies]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 8:15am

Thanks for the information FRONTROWCENTER2. I do miss the overture and always want the audience to sit down and be quiet however in NYC they are usually still trying to find seats and if seated then they are usually talking!!! I suppose that is what it was initially designed for.

Surprisingly old shows like HELLO DOLLY which had an overture written only used a brief introduction of the title song in the first run. I only heard the overture for the first time when I saw an amatuer version!

Posted: 8/29/05 at 8:34am

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA.

[James885]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 8:48am

I absolutly love the overture to The Producers. It's a shame that it was cut.

For me, The Producers' overture is up there with Gypsy's as one of my favorite overtures.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 9:35am

As far as who writes the overture, it varies. Usually, it's the orchestrator or even sometimes the dance arranger, but as pointed out earlier, Richard Rodgers wrote all his own overtures and dance music. He insisted upon it. He was an exception to the rule, though.

[MusicalDirector109]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 10:00am

I truly miss the great overtures. The overture is an extremely important part of a musical. We have lost a wonderful way to introduce the show that we are about to see.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 10:02am

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA began previews in New York with the FULL overture but it was later shortened because audiences complained it was too long.

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 10:50am

^ URGH. I wish they kept it. I forget, on Broadway right now, does the overture include the title song, or did they cut that out? Because I know they cut PASSEGGIATA.

[Oscar Jaffee]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 1:53pm

I think the last truly great overture was for "On the Twentieth Century."

[pennywise-poundfoolish]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 2:03pm

Carousel has the best ever overture.

Thank you.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 2:08pm

My favorite parts of musicals are the overtures. They create the mood. They get the excitement going.

My favorite used to be Gypsy, but Wonderful Town and Sweet Charity are close up there too.

[beenthere]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 3:47pm

Annie has a great overture

[MusicalDirector109]

Posted: 8/29/05 at 4:08pm

I think that "Annie" is the last great overture. I do hope that they will make a "comeback". They are sorely missed!!! I know that they add time to a show but they are MISSED!!!