Agree with songanddanceman about the ensemble coming in "The Old Red Hills of Home," as well as the reprise at the end of the show.
I'll also say Phantom's Overture, though only in the theatre. No matter how many times I've seen the show it never ceases to excite me when that pyro effect goes off with those first shock chords and the "transformation" happens; I LOVE watching all that fabric being removed from the false proscenium and the chandelier beginning its ascent. It's a huge part of the reason why my favorite seats for Phantom are within the first few rows of the mezzanine and not down on the orchestra level.
Both "Who Will Love Me as I Am?" and "I Will Never Leave You" in Side Show. Loved them on Broadway, and just as much so when I worked on one of the first regional production.
RENT is my favorite musical, and "Seasons of Love" really gives me chills. "I'll Cover You" is another one. When Collins says:"Are We a thing?" and Angel replies "Darling, we're everything" and they go right into song, that definatley sends chills up my spine.
Till We Reach That Day-Ragtime How Could I Ever Forget?-Next to Normal (don't ask) Look at me I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise)-Grease Send in the Clowns (Peters. omg.)-A Little Night Music
Everything I Know- In The Heights (Janet Dacal especially) Send in the Clowns- Bernadette's version Electricity- Billy Elliot One Day More/ On My Own- Les Mis Flying section of Defying Gravity live- Wicked And just because, American Idiot- American Idiot
- Final Reprise of "Impossible Dream" (Man of La Mancha) - 'If I Can't Love Her" (Beauty and the bEast) - from the instrumental break til the end - Lesson 8/Beautiful/Move On/Sunday/Finishing the Hat - SITPWG - Reprise of "Send in the Clowns" (after Frederik: 'and of course, Frederika!') when the orchestra swells. - One Day More - Springtime for Hitler ('Heil Myself, Watch my show') - Ragtime: Make Them Hear You/Back to Before/Wheels of A Dream/Daddy's Son - Music Man: End of My White Knight Overtures: Follies, Gypsy, My Fair Lady, Scarlet Pimpernel, Les Mis - Finale: Secret Garden - Being Alive - Intro to As If We Never Said Goodbye: Sunset Blvd - Patti LuPone in Gypsy.
*"You Have To Be There" - Kristina. I have been enthralled with his song, ever since I first hear Alice sing it on Raw At Town Hall. I have several versions, and NEVER tire of it. *"I'd Give My Life For You" - Miss Saigon *"The Gods Love Nubia" - AIDA *"Finale B" - RENT *"One Day More" - Les Miz *"Fathers and Sons" - Working *"In Whatever Time We Have" - Children of Eden *"Muddy Water" "River in the Rain" "Worlds Apart"- Big River *"Being Alive" - Company *"Gethsemane" - JCS
the end of "Lullaby of Broadway" when it goes right into the final verse and they do all the fermatas on "Cooooome aaaaaalong...". Always.
"Another National Anthem" from Assassins. All of it.
"The Tunnel of Love" in Side Show during the creepy middle section with the whispering and the high belting.
"Stay in my Life" from Bright Lights Big City
All of Floyd Collins, and most of Light in the Piazza.
Maggie's section of "At the Ballet" and the last section of the "Music and the Mirror" dance section.
the costume change into key change in "I Am Changing" from Dreamgirls. Unreal.
"As We Stumble Along (Reprise)" from Drowsy Chaperone. And I get a little teary-eyed too. I'm a big queen.
"In Buddy's Eyes" "Another Winter in a Summer Town" "Where Do I Go?" "I Never Has Seen Snow" "No One is Alone" "Be On Your Own"
the last section of "Journey On" and "He Wanted to Say" from Ragtime
"Wanting" from Rags When they slowly crescendo into the finale of "Seussical" with the "Oh, the thinks you can think..."
the very last section of "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love"...from "when loves come so strong...". UGH SO GOOD.
the end of "Some Things Are Meant to Be" when the instrumental section shifts into "Off to Massachusetts". I really love a good orchestration, apparently.
Pretty much all of "Once on this Island"
the finale of "In the Heights". and again with the teary-eyed.
...and don't anyone judge me, but when I was sitting front row at Memphis, I had those super yummy exciting "YES PLEASE!" chills during all of "Radio".
Not so much the actual song, though it's a great song, but more the moment itself. Aida and Radames sing "Written in the Stars" and confess their love. Then they run off and Amneris steps out from behind the wall having overheard everything and there was an audible gasp from the audience. It's easily one of my favorite theatre going experiences.
In a different way than the songs I listed earlier, "That's What He Said" from Parade gives me chills. The way that crowd is whipped into a frenzy like that is frightening, and the cries of "People of Atlanta / raise your voices / Raise your voices high / for Mary!" slay me.
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
Definitely Old Red Hills of Home and It Don't Make Sense from Parade. I'm still flabbergasted the show didn't win Best Musical. No, it don't make sense to me.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Lily's Eyes - Secret Garden Waiting for Life to Begin - Once on This Island Blackout - In the Heights Alone in the Universe - Seussical One Day More - Les Mis Magic To Do - Pippin The I Love You Song - Spelling Bee Light - Next to Normal What You Own - Rent Stars and the Moon - Songs from a New World (but the Audra McDonald version) The Light in the Piazza - The Light in the Piazza (and a lot of other moments from the show too) Soon It's Gonna Rain - The Fantastiks
and while not a musical, the opening song from the first episode of The Sing Off