Eleven O'clock numbers

[RyToast1]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 11:24am

I know there was a thread on this, or multiple threads, but I can't seem to find any of them right now.

Can anyone help?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 11:35am

Are you looking for a definition or a listing?

You'll Never Walk Alone from Carousel

[RyToast1]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 11:36am

I guess both. There was a thread I remember seeing a while ago that had it all!

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 11:39am

Lot's Wife - Caroline or Change

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 11:40am

An 11'O Clock Number is usually the big brassy solo for the/a main character right before the end of the show. Many times it gives the main theme, or message of the show. Sometimes it's just a last burst to get us through to the finale.

Examples:
"Being Alive" - Company
"What I Did For Love" - A Chorus Line
"For Good" - Wicked
"Big Black Lady Stop the Show" - Martin Short
"Lot's Wife" - Caroline or Change
"I Know Where I've Been" - Hairspray.

[RyToast1]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 11:41am

Rose's Turn

[lildogs]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 11:47am

I always thought Ladies Who Lunch was COMPANY'S 11:00 number...but what do I know?

[RyToast1]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 11:49am

11 o'clock numbers are such a gray area-type topic

[tazber]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 11:56am

Brotherhood of Man for How To Succeed.

The joke is that they were always needed in musicals of the 50s/60s to wake up the audience as they were starting to wane by 11pm.
And of course, there is always some truth behind every joke.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 11:57am

Back in the day, some shows started at 8:30 and would end at 11:30. In order to wake the audience up from the booze they consumed at dinner and/or intermission, they would put a rousing song in that would be performed at approximately 11:00 and carry them through to the curtain.

[dry2olives]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 12:02pm

Traditionally, in the days when showcasing the top name star was more important than presenting a well-crafted musical, someone like Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor or Ethel Merman could have it written into their contracts that they get a big solo just before the finale. Since shows started at 8:30 or 8:40 they were known as 11 O'Clock numbers. Nowadays the phrase is often interpreted as any big rousing number that comes late in the show.

[callmemadam1953]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 12:06pm

The number that made me shake was Roses Turn from Gypsy 1959, Ethel Merman delivered that song with such finess and her voice was absoulutly faboulus. What a good way to end a incredible show! My favorite song to this day.

[EganFan2]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 2:56pm

I remember a thread like this not too long ago.

But, I'll mention one of my favorites yet again: "Reviewing the Situation" from Oliver.

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 3:04pm

I always thought Ladies Who Lunch was COMPANY'S 11:00 number...but what do I know?

I would have guessed that too. It seems that I confused the 11 o'clock number with some sort of structure where the main chatacter(s) go through some sort of "epiphany" or conclusion before the finale. For that matter, I though "Marry the Man Today" was the 11 o'clock number and not "Sit Down..." in Guys and Dolls, for example.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 3:13pm

I think "Ladies" is the 11 O'Clock number and "Being Alive" is the finale.

And it's not always the lead character who does the 11 O'Clock- "Brush up your Shakepeare" and "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat" for example.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 3:19pm

Sondheim is too sophisticated for an 11:00 number.

[Taryn]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 3:50pm

But an 11 o'clock number CAN be the finale, hence "Fable" from Light in the Piazza.

"Is Anybody There" from 1776 has always been one of my favorites.

[luvcaroline]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 3:53pm

"I'm Here" from Color Purple

"Promises, Promises," from Promises, Promises, it's the 11 o'clock number, AND the finale

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 3:56pm

"Gimme, Gimme" from Thoroughly Modern Millie
"Make Them Hear You" from Ragtime
"I Confess" from Footloose

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 3:59pm

I think it's a combo of "Back to Before" and "Make Them Hear You" for RAGTIME's 11 O'Clock

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 4:03pm

"Ladies Who Lunch" is definitely COMPANY's 11 o'clock number, "Being Alive" comes too late in the show. An 11 o'clock number is not necessarily the finale or the last song.
"Lot's Wife" is the best in recent memory, IMO.
"Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat" (not "Marry the Man Today"), "Rose's Turn," "The Miller's Son," and "I'm a Brass Band" are some classic 11 o'clock numbers.

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 4:06pm

husk_charmer: I think you are right. I totally forgot about "Back To Before" when I made my previous post.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 6:11pm

I was just about to post that about Back to Before. Both it, and Make Them Hear You I guess qualify as 11:00 numbers.

Another one that has not been mentioned is "If He Walked into My Life" from Mame.

[puppetman2]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 6:15pm

I'm Going Back - Bells Are Ringing

Oklahoma - Oklahoma

[BrookArtsCenter]

Posted: 3/10/08 at 7:27pm

A couple of my 11 o'clock favs:

Razzle Dazzle -- Chicago
Suddenly Seymour -- Lil Shop

Updated On: 3/10/08 at 07:27 PM