Best opening numbers! — Page 2

Elphie, I was going to say the same thing about Footloose. I love how they did the whole take down the green "sheet" thing. It was different and they did not just use a regular show curtain. It was a very cool visual.

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Updated On: 1/28/04 at 02:43 PM

Good Morning Baltimore - HAIRSPRAY
It's Still Rock and Roll to Me - MOVIN OUT
Audition - 42nd STREET
Prologue - INTO THE WOODS

Magruder....
I love listening to "Let The Devil Take Us" from "Whorehouse II"

and to me the best overture that I have ever seen is hands down....

RAGTIME.

I loved Nine (revival)'s opening, it was simple yet awesome and energetic with all the great voices. Lion king's is very pleasing to the sences.

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Hairspray, Cabaret, The Lion King, Footloose, and Cats.

I'm doing Footloose right now at school. We're in rehearsals and I'm playing Wes Warnicker. The opening number is actually pretty good, unlike some of the rest of the score.
-Cabaret and Chicago have great opening numbers.

These are GREAT!!! I def. agree w/ Grand Hotel, i would like to add Blood Brothers. i've got more... but ill let others keep goin....

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I happen to love Kander and Ebb's "Life Is" from ZORBA. It's a Bazuki circle, everyone in the company in chairs, and it was both classic Broadway, and a decent approximation of a distinctively Greek ritual. When Lorraine Serabian stepped forward and said "Wait, I will tell you!" And then the six note motif sounds, and she starts in, "Life is what you do ... while you're waiting to die..." A downer of a lyric that was exhiliarating! (later changed to "Life is what you do ... until it's time for you to die," which isn't as sharp.)

While we're reaching back, I also love "Twenty Fans" from WHOREHOUSE (I).

And I agree with Robbie and all about the opening of TITANIC. It's thrilling. But I am a fan of that entire score.

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Those of us who saw the original production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR will probably agree that the opening number of that show was magnificent. When the audience came in, we THOUGHT there were panels hanging in place like a show curtain. The overture started and we could see actors crawling on the very tops of those panels...then the panels began to slowly fall backwards and the actors were rolling down them toward the audience. At that point we realized that these weren't panels at all, but were 3 sections of the stage floor! Ben Vereen appeared out of nowhere and began singing "Heaven On Their Minds". The rest of the performance was equally spectaular.

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I must agree on Aida, though other shows close similar to the way they started. Like in Millie, a modern appears and turns around and the story begins all over again.

The best opening on Broadway goes to:

Both THE LION KING (You can't touch that experience, though everyone has seen it on TV) ... and ... THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (The dancing is incredible and the music and crazy upbeat ... very infectious)

A close second goes to ... WICKED (I actually LOVE No One Mourns the Wicked) ... also, sorry, but I am in love with the AIDA opening ... it's too cool!

Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, LSOH, Chicago!

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