I am showing my age agaain, but the best first act finales were:
1.BABES IN ARMS, where after singing JOHNYY ONE NOTE, someone got socked in the jaw at which point the curtain fell.
2. BOYS FROM SYRACUSE. Let Antipholus In number fairly bubbled over with the entire corps de ballet jumping around in every kind of body contortion while the chorus kept repeating LET ANTIPHOLUS IN.
3. PAL JOEY. Gene Kelly partnering every girl in the corps and finally winding up wirh Vivienne Segal at which point the lights came up on the Chez Joey nightclub.
4. ON YOUR TOES. La Princess Zenobia ballet, a spoof on all those crazy oriental ballets with a really wicked spoof by Tamara Geva and Ray Bolger prancing around the stage as a slave.
5. BY JUPITER. ray Bolger singing No Mother No, after which Robert Alton send him pirouetting acros the stage in a dazzling and dizzying succession of high acrobatic dancing.
6. FINIAN'S RAINBOW. Great Come and Get IT Day with entire singing corps raising their hands heavenward as the curtain fell.
Probably others, but these come to mind right now!
Miriam
Every movement has a meaning--but what the hell does it mean!