Help! What are Your Favorite Opening Songs From Musicals? — Page 3

Most of my favorites have already been mentioned, but here are a few more!
Tear Me Down-Hedwig
Come Look At The Freaks-Side Show
Everybody's Got the Right- Assassins
Belle from Beauty and the Beast

No one has mentioned "Camelot," with Guinivere's prayer to Saint Genevieve to rescue her from the marriage to Arthur. (At least I THINK that's the opening).

I, too, love "Tradition," which explains the culture and sets up the story.

No one has mentioned the opening of "Les Miz," with the prisoners performing hard labor. I think that "Look Down" perfectly shows the despair of the men, as well as sets up the ongoing tug of war between Javert and JVJ.

I really love the opening of the Broadway (not the touring) version of POTO, where the auction sets up the "bang" and the chandelier's rise, but that's not really an opening number -- for one thing, Raoul has sung his monkey song already.

Finally, I think the reworked version of "Love Never Dies," presented in Australia (not the London version), has a fantastic opening number: "Till I Hear You Sing." That song allows us to see the Phantom's lonely, sensitive side, which never happens in the "prequel." (Note to those who have recently become theater fans and may not be aware of this, but "Love Never Dies" is the sequel to POTO.)

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"A Great Night For A Murder" from Stop! You're Killing Me"

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Hey Everybody

What about Your favorite opening numbers for Musicals from the 2000s to present?
They seem pretty under represented on the posts overall.

My favorites include

American Idiot American Idiot
Be the Hero Big Fish
Every Story Is A Love Story/ Aida
Fortune Favors The Brave
Good Morning Baltimore Hairspray
Hello! Book of Mormon
Here Right Now Ghost
Just Another Day Next to Normal
Live In Living Color Catch Me if you can
No One Mourns The Wicked Wicked
Omigod You Guys Legally Blonde
Opening Night The Producers
The Last Real Record Store High Fidelity
Two Worlds Tarzan
When You're An Addams Addams Family

Love the inputs and grateful-have a seventy song opener playlist thats AWESOME
thanks to all your suggestions so far!

wiki and the original cast album list song order for Man of La Mancha as:
1)overture
2)man of La mancha

Ive never been lucky enough to see this show performed life, waiting for the next revival!

I personally think of the the opener the first song after overture or prologue; other members considered and listed the overture or prologue AS their fav opening, which is of course just as valid (like Carousel Waltz and Overture/Audition in 42nd street)

what are your fav openers member SNAFU?

Updated On: 2/16/15 at 11:54 AM

This doesn't truly answer the OP's question, but it brings to my mind about 14 years or so ago, when my now adult daughter, a professional singer/actor, was spending one of her many summers of her youth at Stagedoor Manor. That summer, there was a guest director who staged an original revue he created. The show was titled, Another Openin' Another Show, and it consisted of 40 original opening numbers from various musicals, with a lot of the original choreography and so forth. The director/choreographer was David Connolly, who is simply amazing. The show was truly fantastic.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the opening number of "Jesus Christ
Superstar." It's my fave.

That guitar riff that opens the song is goosebump inducing, and then the first lyric (one of Tim Rice's best ever) comes in, when Judas sings: "My mind is clearer now."

Good Morning Baltimore- Hairspray
Circle of Life- Lion King
Ragtime- Ragtime
We Are What We Are- La Cage Aux Folles
Populism, Yea, Yea- Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Underground- Memphis
Old Red Hills of Home- Parade
Magic To Do- Pippin

One of my favorite is The Vaudeville of LaChiusa's Wild Party. Technically three songs, but together hey form the opening sequence, if that makes sense. And they were listed together in the playbill, so I think it counts. Queenie Was A Blonde sets up the action with the men watching a vaudeville show starting the gorgeous Queenie. Marie is Tricky introduces Burrs and his minstrel act. Wild Party provides great exposition and sets up the entire show, as well as being a fantastic song - I listen to 2:33 trough the end of the song on the OBC constantly.

Perfect for that show, especially at Wolfe's hands.

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Maltby and Shire wrote some excellent opening numbers:

Can't Wait from Big

We Start Today from Baby

Tons of energy, establish the characters and their world.