Best Opening Number (In Your Opinion) Since 1997?- Page 2

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 10/30/18 at 12:35pm

MadsonMelo said: "I’d say Hello from Book of Mormon"

Me too. It put a smile on my face that lasted through the entire show. (Except for the times I was laughing.)

 

[stevie3]

Posted: 10/30/18 at 6:31pm

Ragtime

Honeymoon in Vegas

[Impossible2]

Posted: 10/30/18 at 6:55pm

Prologue - Great Comet

Hello - Book of Mormon

 

[Pjayactor]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 8:46am

Jarethan said: "I had not thought about this until seeing this. I realized that some of the great opening numbers are from the past 20 years. If you think about some of the great musicals, they did not have big opening numbers, e.g., South Pacific, MFL, Dolly, Mame, Man of La Mancha, Phantom, Gypsy, Evita (clearly effective,but...), The Music Man. (Clearlythere are alsoTradition, Cabaret and Company; and special mention to the opening of Follies, which may not be a number per se but is still amazing when well done).

Re the past 20 years, I agree with a lot of the posters, but I would rank as follows:

1. Ragtime: formymoney,maybe the greatest opening number ever. It accomplished so much story telling, yet entertained the hell out of you.

2. The Lion King: IMO it is major downhill from there, but the opening number, which is really just a procession, is stunning. It is the reason The LionKing remains the hit it is today.

3. Hamilton: I don't know how much this has to do with the electricity in the air, but I think the opening number sets the tone for the entire show.

4. Titanic: the chorals are so great,and it does an incredible job of introducing all of the characters. I still get goosebumps when I occasionally listen to it.

5. Come From Away. That show would not be the hit it is without that opening number. It tells you that itis going to be okay to be entertained bythe show, and that you needn't worry about planes falling out of the sky.

Honorable Mention: The King of Broadway. IMO The Producers gets bad-mouthed a lot on this board. It isto me still the most entertaining show in that time period, and the opening number does a great job of setting the scene, introducing us to Max Bialystyock. Urinetown, for its pureaudacity."

Jarethan- Yes! I could not agree more! I also loved Something Rotten’s opening. 

[ggersten]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 9:54am

When I saw the opening number of The Wedding Singer on the Tony Awards, I was breathless.  It was short, energetic, informative and just fun to watch.  I have since seen two productions (one College; one professional regional) and neither captured the magic of that Tony performance.  So, it's tough for me to say it's the best opening number - only that it has the potential to be the best opening number.

Otherwise, I feel Titanic and  Spelling Bee captured my attention immediately and got me into the shows and exhilarated. 

Query: Is an "opening number" one that immediately opens the show?  Or is it just the first musical number?  Because, Mormon doesn't begin with "Hello" - there is the introductory piece.        

[Tag]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 10:04am

Two that really set the tone and get you into it: The Wedding Singer & Legally Blonde

One of the best as of late: 9 to 5

[GE 2]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 10:10am

What about “Mama who bore me”... Spring Awakening. 

Love some of the others mentioned like “Good Morning Baltimore” from Hairspray and “Hello” from Book of Mormon. 

Updated On: 10/31/18 at 10:10 AM

[Lot666]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 11:37am

Off the top of my head:

"There Will be Sun", Groundhog Day

"Prologue/The Coney Island Waltz", Love Never Dies (original London production)

"The Circle of Life", The Lion King

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 12:25pm

Tag said: "Two that really set the tone and get you into it:The Wedding Singer & Legally Blonde

One of the best as of late: 9 to 5"

I love "9 to 5" on the cast recording, but HATED Andy Blankenuehler's choreography in the Broadway production. I can only assume Jeff Calhoun's work on the tour was an improvement.

[romain2]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 12:43pm

A lot already mentioned but I’m thirding and fourthing and fifthing:

Good Morning Baltimore from Hairspray
American Idiot from American Idiot
Just Another Day from Next to Normal

Hello from The Book of Mormon might be best because it’s brought back brilliantly at the end as a great punchline.

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 1:05pm

Would like to add an underrated one, "Underground" from Memphis. Set the tone for the show with an incredibly choreographed high energy number. Definetley got you ready for the show

[americanboy99]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 1:25pm

GREAT COMET

[Anna Lan]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 2:15pm

Lion King. I know it's Disney and they're evil, but that's really good. I point all parent friends looking for a show for the family that direction. They're never disappointed. It's the no fail show (it's not like they can book Hamilton and as openers go my jaw was further on the floor for Lion King).

[a-mad]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 2:43pm

Best Opening Number of a Show That Maintains that Quality For the Remainder of the Production - Ragtime

Best Opening Number of a Show that Goes Downhill From There - The Lion King

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 7:18pm

a-mad said: "Best Opening Number of a Show That Maintains that Quality For the Remainder of the Production - Ragtime

Best Opening Number of a Show that Goes Downhill From There - The Lion King"

Absolutely agree, per my comments above.  Better summarized by you.

Re other comments,  Thought Mama Who Bore Me was a lousy opener...so much so, that I started getting scared that i was going to hate the show.  Hello may be a terrific number, but it is not the opening number.  IMO the opening number is not the first number, it is the number that starts the show immediately, e.g., Ragtime, Tradition, Wilkhommen, The Circle of Life, the tap-dancing in 42nd Street (fever there was one, this is it...the curtain was not even up), All That Jazz (which I forgot when submitted my choices).  Others may disagree, but it needs start immediately with singing and / or dancing.

[GE 2]

Posted: 11/2/18 at 5:43am

Imagine opening this up to best opening number of all time?

Oklahoma "Oh what a beautiful morning".

Sound of Music "Hills are alive with the sound of music".

And if overtures count...

Carousel "The Carousel Waltz"

Phantom of the Opera.

And is there a stronger suite of songs to start a musical ever than Les Miserables?  In tears by the time you get to "I dreamed a dream".

 

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 11/2/18 at 11:20am

Ragtime, definitely.

Following GE 2's idea of all-time, I'd include "We Are What We Are" from La Cage Aux Folles.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 11/2/18 at 11:57am

GE 2 said: "Imagine opening this up to best opening number of all time?

Oklahoma "Oh what a beautiful morning".

Sound of Music "Hills are alive with the sound of music".

And if overtures count...

Carousel "The Carousel Waltz"

Phantom of the Opera.

And is there a stronger suite of songs to start a musical ever than Les Miserables? In tears by the time you get to "I dreamed a dream".

I have seen several live productions of The Sound of Music and, without the camera swooping down, the mountains gorgeously everywhere, and Julie Andrews' voice, the opening is fine, but not 'best of' calibre IMO.

Re Phantom, that deadly dull auction scene comes before the chandelier rising to the title theme, which I agree is great theatre...not really an opening, however, again IMO.

We can just disagree on Oh, What a Beautiful Morning, andI have to acknowledge that I hate Oklahoma.

[Lot666]

Posted: 11/2/18 at 1:26pm

Jarethan said: "Re Phantom, that deadly dull auction scene comes before the chandelier rising to the title theme,which I agree is great theatre...not really an opening, however, again IMO."

IMO, there's absolutely nothing "deadly dull" about the Phantom auction scene; on the contrary, it's one of my favorite scenes. The dim lighting and eerie demeanor of the performers very intentionally generates a vague air of foreboding in the audience that perfectly sets up the chandelier reveal and subsequent journey back in time to the events of the story. A cast member in that scene told me that Hal Prince instructed them to play it "as though they are underwater", and I think it works brilliantly.

Also, how is it "not really an opening"?

Updated On: 11/2/18 at 01:26 PM

[KnewItWhenIWasInFron]

Posted: 11/2/18 at 2:10pm

Jarethan said: "a-mad said: "Best Opening Number of a Show That Maintains that Quality For the Remainder of the Production - Ragtime

Best Opening Number of a Show that Goes Downhill From There - The Lion King"

Absolutely agree, per my comments above. Better summarized by you.

Re other comments, Thought Mama Who Bore Me was a lousy opener...so much so, that I started getting scared that i was going to hate the show. Hello may be a terrific number, but it is not the opening number. IMO the opening number is not the first number, it is the number that starts the show immediately, e.g., Ragtime, Tradition, Wilkhommen, The Circle of Life, the tap-dancing in 42nd Street (fever there was one, this is it...the curtain was not even up), All That Jazz (which I forgot when submitted my choices). Others may disagree, but it needs start immediately with singing and / or dancing."

A chorus of agreement. "Circle of Life" is, give or take, "I Hope I Get It," my favorite opening of all time and -- echoing the previous poster -- I'd actually have a better time if I left after it. Not a fan of any of the rest of "Lion King" but that number has made me cry every time I've seen it.

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 11/2/18 at 6:07pm

I do not understand how Hello is not an opening number.

[Shh_413]

Posted: 11/2/18 at 10:56pm

TheGingerBreadMan said: "I do not understand how Hello is not an opening number."

Since the Hill Cumorah pageant scene opens TBoM, "Hello" is not, in the strictest sense and according to their definition, an opening number. But I still like to think it counts.

[stoptheworld38]

Posted: 1/6/19 at 2:40pm

Welcome To the Rock (Come From Away) and We Dance (Once On This Island)

[binau]

Posted: 1/6/19 at 2:46pm

I personally think a more interesting thread would be worst numbers...most shows in my opinion, even 'bad' ones, have good opening numbers. I suspect it's because they are often (but not always) written quite early on and frame the entire thing - they are so important to get right I would argue that many shows would never get mounted if it weren't for strong opening numbers. 

[sondheim94]

Posted: 1/6/19 at 3:37pm

Shocked no one has said "20 Million People" from My Favorite Year. An INCREDIBLE opening.