Character Men's group numbers

[dancinfan]

Posted: 10/19/11 at 11:51pm

I am looking for a few good songs for a group of 3 or more character men (like Little Tin Box from Fiorello!). The catch is this: I would LOVE for them to be from flop shows. Songs from 1776 or Most Happy Fella are not ideal because the shows were hits. I'd rather the songs come from shows that ran only briefly on Broadway for some reason. Anyone have any suggestions? Obscure is good as long as the song is good!

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 12:26am

Everybody Ought to Have a Maid

Have I Got a Girl for You

Music Man Rock Island

[MisterSnow89]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 2:27am

Where Can You Take A Girl? - Promises, Promises,

[dancinfan]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 7:27am

Good one, Mister Snow!

[North2009]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 9:57am

"Silverware" from WE TAKE THE TOWN.

[Jon]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 11:50am

The title song from BY JEEVES.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 12:18pm

So, COMPANY, THE MUSIC MAN, FORUM and PROMISES, PROMISES are now considered flops?!

[newintown]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 12:24pm

Promises, Promises was a big hit, dancinfan. Do you want songs from flops?

You could do:
"Darlin' Man" from Juno (written for 2 men, but could be more)
"Sez I" and "Wisha Wurra" from Donnybrook
"A Right Girl" from A Family Affair
"Money Isn't Everything" from Foxy
"I've Got You To Lean On" from Anyone Can Whistle (Cora's part can be covered by a man)
"A Pox Upon the Traitor's Brow" and "Today Is A Day For A Band To Play" from Drat! The Cat!
"I Wonder If" from A Time For Singing
"Lament for Ten Men" from Breakfast At Tiffany's
"Like Yours" from The Fig Leaves Are Falling
"Right Hand Man" from Lovely Ladies Kind Gentlemen
The Entire Minstrel Show from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
"Fingers and Toes" from Angel
"The Rink" (and others) from The Rink

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 12:25pm

True flop show?

THE BAKER'S WIFE

Song: The Luckiest Man in the World

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 1:03pm

Saturday Night - Saturday Night (Sondheim)

The Dresden Northwest Mounted - Pardon My English (Gershwins)

We Love An Old Story (and several other male ensemble numbers) -
Oh, Brother! (Valenti/Driver)

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 1:15pm

It's Legitimate - Do Re Mi
A Certain Girl - The Happy Time
You've Got What I Need - It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman!
Bad Companions - Goldilocks (female could be male)
Life is Like a Train - On the Twentieth Century
The Creation of Man - The Scarlet Pimpernel

[Calvin]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 1:43pm

Five Zeros from On the Twentieth Century also would work -- no reason why Primrose's part couldn't be sung by a male out of context.

[newintown]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 1:48pm

I know it didn't run for years (it did have 449 performances, though), but would you really call On The Twentieth Century a flop? It won several Tony awards, including best score.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 1:50pm

Oh God, not this argument again...

[nealb1]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 2:54pm

"What a Game" from "Ragtime."

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 4:10pm

[Jon]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 4:41pm

Poker Polka from 110 in the Shade.

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 8:03pm

"Another National Anthem" from Assassins.
"Hundreds of Girls" from Mack & Mabel.
"Pretty Lady" from Pacific Overtures.
"Rothschild & Sons" or "Everything" from The Rothschilds.
My favorite:
"The Begat" from Finian's Rainbow, whose recent revival was indeed a huge flop.
Updated On: 10/20/11 at 08:03 PM

[americanboy99]

Posted: 10/20/11 at 9:51pm

"Big Ass Rock" from THE FULL MONTY.

[broadway_show_fan]

Posted: 10/21/11 at 10:52am

Not the worst of all flops, but WEDDING SINGER's "Single" is a fun number.

[darquegk]

Posted: 10/21/11 at 3:05pm

I wish there were accepted terms for the different varieties of flops.

Total flop: critical and public/financial failure
Financial flop: Won awards and was well-praised or well-known, but failed when staged
Reclaimed flop: Flopped as a critical or financial venture, but was essentially "de-flopped" by tours and regional stagings until it became a well-established or successful show in its own right ("The Rocky Horror Show" being the ur-example, but "Legally Blonde" and "The Wedding Singer" are more recent examples)