Posted: 7/23/19 at 7:28pm
I second the Hair revival! When I saw it, the audience was having such a fun time, and then when flesh failures happened, it was like a bomb went off (pun intended? yikes). I'll never forget it.
Posted: 7/23/19 at 7:52pm
I agree completely about Hadestown (I honestly wasn't super into it until the last third or so of the second act, which I think is actually a bit of perfect theater).
Fairview does this too but in a different sense. Without giving anything away, you spend the first act of Fairview thinking it's one thing, the second act mostly confuses, and then the ending ties it all together and kind of forces you to recontextualize everything you saw.
Posted: 7/24/19 at 2:18am
Posted: 7/24/19 at 4:26am
OP here. I have been fascinated by the responses. Some of your choice are personal favorites - Fun Home, for example - and others I have yet to see. (I saw a local production of the 1998 revival of Cabaret the other night and am still not sure how I feel about the conclusion.)
Hairspray is one I hadn't thought about, because the ending didn't necessarily change my opinion of the show, but "You Can't Stop the Beat" is an awfully good closing number for a musical comedy and wraps the whole thing up perfectly.
I love Sunday in the Park with George. From the moment "Children and Art" starts through the end of the show, I think what had been a quirky, clever. and often-gorgeous musical turns into something unexpectedy (for me) moving.
Posted: 7/24/19 at 6:31am
Chess - 'Endgame' is next-level musically and dramatically, and I also like that it dares to takes things in a different direction than we're typically led to expect regarding the behaviour of a story's 'hero'.
Sweeney Todd - 'The Final Sequence'. Well, you know.
The Most Happy Fella - 'I Don Know Nothing About You (Reprise)'. The sentiment that originally sets things on a course for disaster - 'not knowing' the person you're deciding to make a life with - is repurposed to signify deep, compassionate love and redemption. Aww!
Posted: 7/24/19 at 7:37am
msmp said: "It's already an elevated piece in my mind, but the final moment ofFiddler on the Roofsticks with me in every production. Yente's heartbreaking monologue to Golde about finding her way to Jerusalem, the last moment and the smallest reconciliation between Tevye and Chava, the rotation of the stage (or the actors walking in a circle) to represent the journey outwards from Anatevke, and the way Tevye beckons the titular fiddler to follow them all drive home that despite the intense tragedy of what has been witnessed, community isn't defined solely by geography."
Out of all of the moments mentioned in this thread, I completely agree with this. The moment Tevye turns back and beckons to the Fiddler to follow him, I've come to realize that it signifies (in my opinion) that the people in his life are moving towards the unknown, a new future, but keeping a foot firmly rooted in their traditions. It's so powerful. Definitely top of my list for this topic.
Posted: 7/24/19 at 11:11am
The Great Comet - I'm always an absolute mess those last 2 songs.
Fiddler - Mess again.
The Father - Mess!
The Humans - Mess!
Cabaret - Mess!
Hairspray - Left the theatre so buzzed!
Come From Away - As above.
Amy and the Orphans - The play itself was just ok, but the last 15 minutes and that closing monologue was phenomenal and I sat and ugly cried for a good 5 minutes.
Posted: 7/24/19 at 11:53am
Fiddler is the most classic one, with such a haunting and thought-provoking ending.
The revival of Pippin's ending blew me away. How they took down the entirety of the set and used the boy, it completely put the whole show together.
The Ferryman recently has a dynamite ending, elevating the play from good to great.
Hamilton, turning the attention to Eliza, was a brilliant choice.
Dear Evan Hansen, ending on a message of hope to anyone else who may feel alone or suicidal, is the embodiment of "it gets better"
Posted: 7/24/19 at 12:49pm
Fan123 said: "Chess - 'Endgame' is next-level musically and dramatically, and I also like that it dares to takes things in a different direction than we're typically led to expect regarding the behaviour of a story's 'hero'.
Sweeney Todd - 'The Final Sequence'. Well, you know.
The Most Happy Fella - 'I Don Know Nothing About You (Reprise)'. The sentiment that originally sets things on a course for disaster- 'not knowing' the person you're deciding to make a life with - is repurposed to signify deep, compassionate love and redemption. Aww!"
Didn’t think of this, but I agree 100%. Final Sequence is just an absolute onslaught of terrifying and emotional moments. From the moment City on Fire begins to the moment the final Ballad of Sweeney Todd (although technically that’s not listed as part of Final Sequence) ends, this show’s climax is a horrifying joy. I particularly love the wonderful foreshadowing with the Beggar Woman and the underscoring from Epiphany, the Beadle and Pirelli’s chilling solo, the build up and entrance of Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett in the final number, and especially Sweeney’s drawn out, broken, and mournful lyrics being contrasted with Mrs. Lovett’s frantic, petrified, and yearning lyrics, with both happening at the exact same time, and managing to be equally heartbreaking. The perfect ending to the perfect show.
Posted: 7/24/19 at 1:15pm
Love this thread and definitely echo the thoughts on Angels in America, Hadestown, Next to Normal, Vietgone (!), The Ferryman and many others.
Did anyone see We're Only Alive for a Short Amount of Time at the Public? I wasn't captivated from start to finish - but once Cale sang the song to his mother (I think it was called "I love you more than you'll ever know"?), everything clicked. It fixed the entire show and I wept all the way to the end as did everyone sitting directly across from me.
Updated On: 7/24/19 at 01:15 PM
Posted: 7/24/19 at 3:04pm
victoriafr said: "The ending to Next to Normal. The final song is of course beautiful (spoilers ahead), but when the audience finds out that Dan has had his son in his head the entire musical too, not only is it a crazy plot twist, it puts everything else in the show in a different perspective. You can go back and listen to the recording, and all of a sudden you question who some lines are sung to in the music! It's amazing."
That ending killed me. I was a mess. Beautiful.
Posted: 7/25/19 at 8:06pm
Sweeney I think has one of the best endings. It's so unbelievably thrilling.
The ending of the Falsettos revival was one the biggest gut punches I had ever witnessed in a theatre in a while. So beautifully done.
It's a bit cliched but the ending of Wicked left me stunned the first time I saw it. I thought the twist was brilliant. I was 12, but I still thought it was brilliant.
I love the ending of Merrilly We Roll Along. I think Our Time is one of the best Sondheim songs ever written and somehow perfectly wraps up a bizarre show that ends up working weirdly well, giving what we saw depth and meaning.
Once on This Island. Can only speak for the revival but the way in which Ti Moune came back through the aisle was AMAZING. Somehow both joyus and crushing. Just a perfect ending.
I know not the point but also responding to OP, did anyone feel unsatisfied with Great Comet's end? I ADORE that show but I wanted more from the end.
