Lengthy Opening Numbers that Do and Don't Work...

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 8:49pm

I have been a good little boy and tried to give the critically trashed High Fidelity a chance, but find its opening number, at nearly 8 minutes, unbearable to listen to. I've skipped around on the disc and find the lack of melody and point to be numbing.

So, what are some lengthy opening numbers that work.

My top 2 would be Into the Woods and Ragtime.

[ben4]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 8:52pm

One that's never worked for me at all was Sunset Boulevard's. It just seems to go on and on and on, and there's never one memorable or interesting piece of music in the whole first ten minutes of the show.

It's terrible.

[BrianIdol]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 8:53pm

Wicked's "No One Mourn's The Wicked" is long, but I think it kinda works, it feels very cinematic with the flashback elements....

Les Miserables also has a VERY long Prologue, but i don't mind it at all.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 9:00pm

I like Sunset's. It has that very "Hollywood" feel to it, and I think the melody is rather catchy.

I never thought Dirty Rotten Scoundrels found an opening that fully works.

I think the RENT opening works great with the show and sets up the whole "singing and talking" thing.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 9:01pm

I agree With RentBoy about DRS

Legally Blondes works well, very well
As does Rent

[[e-mail]]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 9:02pm

Beauty & The Beasts' works well

So does Sunset's IMO.

The Phantom one kind of drags IMO, but I think a lot of people like it.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 9:03pm

Phantom drags for me, definitely.

I think that Evita's opening is long, yet awesome.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 9:12pm

That opening number for Evita is tough to pull off. A recent Seattle production put me to sleep before Eva even stepped on stage.

I did find one good thing about High Fidelity. The set. But of course, a good set does not a cast recording make. I also enjoy how they pulled quotes from critics to make it look like it was a hit. Nice try!

[little_sally]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 9:45pm

Oh, the opening for HF is hurrendous. Too long.

Great lengthy opening? A Chorus Line!

[kyleorlando]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 9:50pm

Ditto on ACL. A great opening sequence. Dreamgirls has a good one too.

I do have to admit, despite being in numerous productions that paid my bills many a summer and winter, the opening sequence of Joseph... yada yada, bores me to tears when I have to watch it.

It was red and yellow and green and snooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeee.

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 10:02pm

I kind of enjoy the first half of the HiFi opening number. I think of when the set spun around and what not. But i usally turn it off by the "hiroshimi of my love" part.

I second Legally Blonde's lengthy but awesome opening.
I'd like to add the opening of Aida.

Posted: 6/27/07 at 10:10pm

Sunset has a long opening number? umm which? Similarly what's the long opening for Phantom of the Opera?

Menken does great openings but--Bells of Notre Dame is long and works as does Belle--Skid Row is classic but not all that long I guess. (Similarly Schwartz did a great number, Deliver Us, for the animated Prince of Egypt that the score never quite lives up to again)

Ragtime's opening is brillinat I think.

Chorus Line too.

I do think Hal Prince was maybe right about A Little Night Music--when it's performed with the full overture AND the full Night Waltz it can be over 10 minutes until we as an audience really know who any of these characters are--but the music is so gorgeous I kinda don't care. Other great Sondheim openings are Sunday's title song, ITW, EVerybody's Got the Right and Company--PO coming close.

I *love* the full 8 minute Our Night opening for Pet SHop Boys' Closer to Heaven. it was a mistake not to include it on the CD (they said they wanted the CD to work more as a pop album bu that makes no sense considering the later tracks) but the full version was included as a free download--I just love how it introduces all the characters.

E

[Vespertine1228]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 10:14pm

"Prologue: A Hundred Million Miracles" from the "Flower Drum Song" revisal a few years ago is great and it's 8 1/2 minutes long.

Posted: 6/27/07 at 10:24pm

Into the Wood's prologue is long, but I think it works.

[Craig]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 10:25pm

Li'l Abner's "It's A Typical Day" - While not particularly "lengthy" by most standards, I consider to be one of the best opening #s in a musical.

[ben4]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 10:27pm

"Sunset has a long opening number? umm which?"

Let's Have Lunch is what the song is called I believe. It goes on Fooorrrrevvveerrrr..... and it's just Joe Gillis meeting with people and having the same reaction with them (He needs money and they turn him down).

I don't know how it would look onstage, but listening to it was painfully dull. But then again I think that show as a whole was a massive dissapointment. It only has two good numbers and the rest of it was just sh*t.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 10:31pm

I love "A Hundred Million Miracles" from the revival, but it gets kind of boring during the musical interludes. Of course, maybe I'd have to see it.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 10:31pm

"This Side of the Tracks" in THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL works wonderfully to establish the characters in addition to giving the 3 trailer ladies a chance to strut their stuff and get the audience pumped.

[rock00]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 10:33pm

The opening of The Secret Garden is pretty long, but beautiful.

[EdmundOG]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 10:37pm

I second Into the Woods. It's one great flow until they hit the forest.

[thejcm]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 10:44pm

The opening number of Fame: The Musical (Pray I Make P.A/Hard Work) is around 10 minutes, and it's pretty bad. I've never seen it staged well, so maybe if it were done correctly it could be enjoyable. Granted, the only ones I've seen (including the one I was in) were high school productions, the cast recording with Gavin Creel and Jenn Gambatese is really exciting to listen to.

[Copeman63]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 10:51pm

Ragtime is my personal favorite

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 6/27/07 at 11:04pm

I think RAGTIME definitely has one of the most successful and effective lengthy opening sequence. Not a minute of it is wasted and by the end of the number all the characters have been introduced, the time and place has been set, the mood of the show is established. Brilliant.
I don't find the song "Sunday In the Park with George" a lengthy opening but I guess that's subjective.
Another lengthy opening number that works for me is the "16 Feet Below Sea Level" sequence in CAROLINE, OR CHANGE.
A CHORUS LINE wins the award for me though.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 1:15am

"Footloose/On Any Sunday" gives the audience the song that they're familiar with along with introducing the story. Fantastic opening number.

What happens AFTER the opening number is another story.

[musicaltheater1]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 1:35am

The opening number for Flower Drum Song Revival worked quite well for me and my favorite among the shows I have seen. It's not lengthy, Longbottom did an amazing job with the choreography, the lighting - dramatic, the set - simple, and the score/vocals for that scene was top notch.