Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters #1
Posted: 2/3/24 at 11:33am
"On the Street Where You Live" is one of my go-to songs when I audition for a musical. I recall it being described as a song "so good you wonder why it's given to such a minor character" or something along those lines. That made me think about other musicals where standout songs are given to characters who don't factor much into the story.
Another that comes to mind is "Take What You've Got" from Kinky Boots the character who sings it only shows up for the one scene, and structurally it doesn't tell us much about Charlie we don't already know (although it does have a set up for "Everybody Say Yeah") and yet the song is a total banger.
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#2
Posted: 2/3/24 at 11:44am
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas does this rather heavily, with some of its most memorable songs going to its (sometimes barely) featured roles: “Doatsy Mae,” “24 Hours of Loving,” “The Sidestep,” “The Aggie Song.”
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#3
Posted: 2/3/24 at 12:02pm
" Not a Day Goes By" for sure...especially since we barely know that character or her back story prior...
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#4
Posted: 2/3/24 at 12:08pm
Two “anothers”: “Another Hundred People” and “Another Life”
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#5
Posted: 2/3/24 at 12:10pm
“Another Suitcase in Another Hall”
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#6
Posted: 2/3/24 at 12:32pm
I suppose Star-to-be in "Annie". I know it's not the full song but definitely the highlight of NYC
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#7
Posted: 2/3/24 at 12:57pm
My immediate thought is “The Gentleman is a Dope” from Allegro, although several of the songs in that show also qualify.
Thinking on some of the above, it depends on how you define minor or insignificant. I think Freddy is a very significant character in MFL, but he doesn’t have a lot of stage time; same goes for Beth in Merrily. But relative to others, they’re minor characters. So it’s an interesting question that I think can yield a wide array of answers.
Broadway Star Joined: 8/31/08
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#8
Posted: 2/3/24 at 12:58pm
Martha in Spring Awakening with The Dark I Know Well. I love what an unexpected moment it is-how sad her character’s arc never gets a resolution.
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#9
Posted: 2/3/24 at 1:03pm
Another Life from "Bridges" and Playing Nancy from "Groundhog Day"
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#10
Posted: 2/3/24 at 1:07pm
A few that come to mind (although the definition of minor/insignificant is certainly up for debate, especially since a minor character could be quite significant to the narrative):
A Sympathetic Ear - A Strange Loop
Charming - Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812
Playing Nancy - Groundhog Day
Turn it Off - The Book of Mormon
The Joy You Feel - The Light in the Piazza
I Know Where I've Been - Hairspray
The Old Red Hills of Home - Parade
The Acid Queen - Tommy
The Miller's Son - A Little Night Music
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#11
Posted: 2/3/24 at 1:11pm
Both 'I'm Still Here' and 'Broadway Baby' from Follies
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#12
Posted: 2/3/24 at 1:36pm
I don't know if Fraulein Schneider in "Cabaret" qualifies as a minor/insignificant character. But when I first saw "Cabaret" in 1968 London with Judi Dench and Lila Kedrova, I was knocked back in my seat as Kedrova sang What Would You Do? A great song. More than half a century later, it still packs an emotional wallop for me. Here is Kedrova singing it.
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#13
Posted: 2/3/24 at 2:36pm
Surprised no one has mentioned “Zip” from Pal Joey.
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#14
Posted: 2/3/24 at 2:54pm
The8re phan said: "Both 'I'm Still Here' and 'Broadway Baby' from Follies"
You could really use any of the follies girls songs. "One Last Kiss" as well as " Who's that Woman" to add to the list oh and "Ah Paris"
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#15
Posted: 2/3/24 at 2:55pm
Dear One from "Kiss of the Spider Woman"
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#16
Posted: 2/3/24 at 3:03pm
Anyone else still stuck on the fact that 3 of the best examples in this thread all start with the word "Another"?
Updated On: 2/3/24 at 03:03 PMGreat songs given to minor/insignificant characters#17
Posted: 2/3/24 at 3:49pm
Reading the above, I disagree with a few. For instance:
Fraulein Schneider has at least one more solo and one duet; Lotte Lenya was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical, so I would not consider that meeting the criteria set.
I would also question whether Carlotta is an insignificant character in Follies. Most of the roles in Follies are modest. I would agree with the poster re a number of the songs in Follies probably being reasonable proposals.
I don't disagree re The Miller's Son, although I have never understood the appeal of that song. I have always thought of it as filler, even though it has 'an' 11:00 o'clock slot in the show.
I would probably think of a several numbers from Nine, with Be Italian being the best 'match'. I could also argue that Lilliane had very little to do other than number, for which Liliane Montevecchi won a Tony.
It probably doesn't quite meet the bill, but the lion's share of I Have Dreamed is sung by the male, who is barely in the show.
Also maybe a little stretch, but Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat comes close.
Another popular number from Gypsy whose charms have always escaped me is All I Need now Is the Girl.
Don't know if it qualifies as a great song, but The Grass is Always Greener seems to fit. Marilyn Cooper stopped the show and won a Tony for a role that probably involved 6 minutes of stage time.
I don't think any of the songs from Whorehouse remotely meet the 'great songs' requirement.
Agree re Not a Day Goes By, simply because of the timing of the song. Someone we have not seen previously gets arguably the best song in the show. Her role is a little larger, but when she actually sings the song, she is insignigicant. I remember being surprised at how little applause the number received relative to others in the show, but concluded that was because we had no emotional connection to the character, which is a (minor) gotcha with Merrily's structure.
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#18
Posted: 2/3/24 at 5:51pm
The title song from APPLAUSE performed by Bonnie Franklin who was nominated for a Tony Award.
Updated On: 2/3/24 at 05:51 PMGreat songs given to minor/insignificant characters#19
Posted: 2/3/24 at 5:59pm
Disregard
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#20
Posted: 2/4/24 at 9:26am
Michael in the Bathroom from Be More Chill
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#21
Posted: 2/4/24 at 10:34am
RWPrincess said: "Michael in the Bathroom from Be More Chill"
Michael is neither minor nor insignificant in that show.
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#22
Posted: 2/4/24 at 12:40pm
I'm thinking Berthe's "No Time at All" from "Pippin." It's not necessarily a great song, but it's certainly popular with the audience.
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#23
Posted: 2/4/24 at 2:48pm
"Another Hundred People"
Great songs given to minor/insignificant characters#25
Posted: 2/4/24 at 11:35pm
ChiDoc said: "My immediate thought is “The Gentleman is a Dope” from Allegro, although several of the songs in that show also qualify."
The song is sung by the character who proves to be the protagonist's true love and moral compass. Hardly a minor/insignificant character.
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