11 Oclock Numbers — Page 2

For Aida it would have to be the Elaborate Lives Reprise. Either that or Written in the Stars, which is the theme music that was played as the principles took their bows. Written always ended a bit abruptly for me, and I wish they had sang together a little more (like the Elton/LeAnn Rimes version...plus with the way Adam and Heather's voices blended, I always wanted more!) And as far as emotional impact, it doesn't get much more powerful than Heather singing Elaborate Lives

The Producers- Springtime for Hitler/Producers

Are you kidding? Betrayed is the 11 o'clock number.

Drama & Yankee, your probably right. I just figured it was 'Easy as Life' because it's a dramatic solo in which Aida makes a big decision, but it does come a little too early to be an 11 o'clock number.

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Wouldn't "You Walk with Me" be considered the 11 o'clock number from THE FULL MONTY?

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Keep in mind that not every show has an 11 o'clock number. That applies to the more standard form of traditional book musicals and many modern shows have departed from that. And they are not always the same type of song or have the exact same placement. Plus, there are a lot of wrong answers on this thread. I've listed what would be considered the 11 o'clock number or the closest in absence of a true 11 o'clock number.

Aida - Easy as Life
The Wild Party - closest is Love Ain't Nothin'
The Full Monty - closest is Breeze Off the River
Seussical - All For You
The Producers - Betrayed
Urinetown - closest is Tell Her I Love Her (We're Not Sorry is too short and a reprise)
Mamma Mia - The Winner Takes it All
Thorougly Modern Millie - Gimme Gimme
Hairspray - I Know Where I've Been
Movin' Out - River of Dreams/Keeping the Faith/Only the Good Die Young
Avenue Q - The Money Song
Little Shop of Horrors - Suddenly Seymore
The Boy From Oz - Once Before I Go
Wicked - No Good Deed
Taboo - Out of Fashion
Caroline or Change - Lot's Wife
Bombay Dreams - The Journey Home
Brooklyn - Streetsinger

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I don't think it would be I Know The Truth.

>>I don't think it would be I Know The Truth.

Aida's funny because its like the three principal characters each have their own 11 o'clock number, if you go by the definiton that its the song where a character makes their final big decision. I Know the Truth would be Amneris'number

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Quite possible. Its just one of those if you HAD to pick, which would it be type thing. Either way its fun choosing.

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"Eleven o'clock number" is a very murky term.

According to Kantor and Maslon, they define "Eleven o'clock number" as the song toward the end of the show in which the leading character would sing his or her heart out, choosing which fork in the road to follow, or letting the audience discover the character's secret dreams. They site "Rose's Turn" as being the definitive "eleven o'clock number."

By this definition, an "eleven o'clock number" cannot be an ensemble piece, it has to be sung by the leading character. Therefore, in an ensemble musical (like THE FULL MONTY), there is no "eleven o'clock number."

In whatever murky definition of an 11 o'clocker you choose, it is also intended to get an enormous response from the audience...e.g. "Fifty Percent" from Ballroom
"I'm Goin' Back" from Bells Are Ringing
"Music That Makes Me Dance" from Funny Girl
"Ladies Who Lunch" from Company

It's not good theatre to have an 11 o'clocker that leaves the audience in a torpor.

wildcat,

All perfect examples of 11 o'clock numbers. (Except for "Ladies Who Lunch" -- more on that later.)

TABOO? No 11 o'clock number. "Petrified," as great a number as it is, doesn't really count, because it's not sung by a lead character. MOVIN' OUT? No 11 o'clock number. Because none of the characters in the show actually sing. HAIRSPRAY? No 11 o'clock number, because Tracy's "realization" moment happens during the reprise of "Good Morning Baltimore."

On the other hand, "Lot's Wife" from CAROLINE, OR CHANGE is a quintessential 11 o'clock number.

Here's where it gets murky: While "Ladies Who Lunch" would seem to be an 11 o'clock number, in the case of COMPANY, we have an ensemble show. I think this is the exception that's allowable -- even though Strichie is not the lead in COMPANY, she was a powerhouse actress who had a realization sung as an epiphany late in the show. It has all the hallmarks of an 11 o'clock number, so it passes.

I think "Suddenly, Seymour" counts too. Because it's BOTH of the leading characters' defining moment (although it's more her realization than his, the duet structure of it plays against the general rules).

I would argue that "It's a Fine, Fine Line" from AVENUE Q qualifies as well. It's Kate Monster's revelation, and while AVENUE Q is an ensemble show, the plot hinges on her character discovering herself.

Updated On: 1/28/05 at 02:02 AM

Regarding MILLIE, I think it actually has TWO 11 o'clock numbers: Both "Gimme, Gimme" and "Forget About the Boy" pass the test -- they're both solo epiphanies sung by the leading character in the second act of the musical.

I was wondering about male 11 o'clock numbers -- they seem to generally go to female characters. Although I think "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" from MY FAIR LADY certainly fits into the definition. Others?