First musical not to have an overture

In this article Priscilla Lopez says that A CHORUS LINE was the first musical not to have an overture. I never gave this much thought. Is it a fact?
FIRST PERSON: Priscilla Lopez: From the Line to the Heights

Well I understand A Chorus Line not having and overture, because then the show wouldn't seem as real. You could count the audition process as an overture if you'd like. It's all music, almost no singing...

What about Company, Hair, Zorba!, The Happy Time, Two Gentlemen of Verona ...

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Updated On: 7/4/07 at 11:31 AM

"A Chorus Line" has an overture, Bennet decided to not use it, and therefore it's not in the show, in any format. Back when the revival's recording came out there was an article in the NY Times about the loss of the overture, and while "A Chorus Line" is usually credited as the first, I want to say there were 3 or 4 shows prior that did not have one. Does "Company" have one??

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Company never had one, no. Nor did several other shows before 1975.

I was gonna say Carousel...I guess you could say it's the first very well-known musical to not have an overture. It's funny, I'm reading a book analyzing the music in the best musicals, and I just started Carousel, and read about the Carousel Waltz and why they decided to do that in place of an overture and why it worked. Rodgers was never a fan of overtures, he always felt that there was too much brass and not enough strings, so the only parts you could hear are melodies that are blasted. There's this whole debate about whether the Carousel Waltz was originally written for this radio program, but anyway...it introduces all the major musical elements that makes the music to Carousel so distinct.

And let's not forget West Side Story in terms of shows without overtures long before Chorus Line. (Even though the production that's currently licensed does include one, the original just started with the Prologue. Bernstein wrote the overture but then decided not to use it).

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Ms. Lopez is forgetting a few crucial shows before Chorus Line without overtures- Cabaret and Company for example.

There you go, ljay.

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morosco-
It was written with the intention of being there, but was cut before it started at the Public...it has since been tweaked into what is played at Hamlisch's concerts.

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husk_charmer-
Thanks for the info. I found further reading here...
Whatever Happened to the Overture?

Wow sondhead, way to say exactly what I said.

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If you're talking Broadway, the 1903 BABES IN TOYLAND at the torn-down 59th Street Majestic Theatre had no Overture: after 30 seconds or so of introductory music the Prologue began in pantomime.

I think the first musical not to have an overture is CAROUSEL!!!

The whole thing starts with the Carousel Waltz played by the orchestra.

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Usually, the Overture is the work of the orchestrator, not the composer. The composer might have a hand in the routine or layout, but very few composers actually did the actual work.

I thought that the music arranger wrote it. I know Glen Kelly wrote it for The Producers.

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