Favorite Entr'actes

[EvanstonDad]

Posted: 9/29/25 at 5:42pm

Lots of people talk about their favorite overtures, but listening to the banger of an entr'acte on the new studio recording of My Fair Lady got me wondering -- what are people's favorite entr'actes?

In addition to My Fair Lady, two of mine are Sunset Boulevard and The Phantom of the Opera.

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 9/29/25 at 7:05pm

Oohhh great topic! I love Phantom and Sunset Blvd.'s, and very specifically Cabaret's from the 1998 revival. The saxophone duo towards the end is incredible.

[Idiot]

Posted: 9/29/25 at 7:57pm

On The Twentieth Century's is a flippin' delight. 

[merle57]

Posted: 9/29/25 at 8:00pm

The "overture" on the cast album of Flora, the Red Menace is actually the entr'acte and it is wonderful.  There are a few other cast albums that also have an entr'acte in place of the overture. 

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 9/29/25 at 8:50pm

merle57 said: "The "overture" on the cast album of Flora, the Red Menace is actually the entr'acte and it is wonderful. There are a few other cast albums that also have an entr'acte in place of the overture."

And then there's the last On the Town cast album that uses the overture in place of the entr'acte...

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/29/25 at 9:04pm

They’re Playing Our Song

Brigadoon’s is very exciting and majestic. (Available on the National Symphony recording.)

Tunick & Sondheim did a great entr’acte on the MERRILY Encores cast album.

[BobbyBaccalieri]

Posted: 9/29/25 at 9:05pm

Chicago’s is great. The Cellophane drag at the end is so much fun.

[AKarp2013]

Posted: 9/29/25 at 10:27pm

I know people yearn for the return of Overtures, but I yearn for the return of Entr'actes. Most shows nowadays steamroll right back into the action, giving audiences barely any breathing room to get settled after intermission.

I get so irked when the audience is still milling about and the house lights just completely go out (not even a brief fade to half anymore) and when they come up, we're immediately back to telling the story, and all you hear are bags being shuffled, people still finishing conversations or trying to find their seats again, people still unbothered on their cell phones, etc.

Doesn't have to be too long but even a brief minute or 90 seconds of music can make a world of difference in settling the audience back down. It can even be a twist of a re-entry back into the show. Matilda did it brilliantly with Mr. Wormwood, "Telly", and Lavender's brief monologue. It allowed for "When I Grow Up" to achieve a complete emotional impact rather than had they gone straight into it.

Anyway, I love the Entr'acte from Hairspray, which is basically "The Madison" that they perform in the show but I always thought it was killer and so wish that they had recorded it for the cast album.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 9/30/25 at 12:20am

They're Playing Our Song

Pippin

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 9/30/25 at 3:13am

Does Pippin even have an entr'acte? I still think it should be done in one act though I don't think it ever has been in any major production after the original (which of course ran and toured for years...)  I did see the tour of the Paulus revival but don't remember anything about the Act II curtain except I think the Leading Player setting things up again.

I would assume you were kidding but They're Playing Our Song was in two acts and does have a brief sorta entr'acte so :P

Updated On: 9/30/25 at 03:13 AM