So just 1-10 second moments on cast albums that you absolutely love. Hard to think of a whole bunch off the top of my head.
2:02 Waiting for You from No, No, Nanette (the final harmony) 0:14 Summertime from Porgy and Bess (when Bess first comes in) 1:22 Tom, Dick, or Harry from Kiss Me, Kate (the rhythm change)
Gabriel Ebert saying "Is it just me or am I amazing?" at the end of Telly on the Matilda OBC recording. Lena Hall's riffs during Tear Me Down and Midnight Radio on the Hedwig OBC recording.
"The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world." - F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
The moment in the most recent FINIAN'S RAINBOW overture when the Orchestra begins "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" The chord change is so rich and harmonious. Gorgeous.
Nathan Lane and Faith Prince's long, nasal, completely unique held notes towards the end of "Sue Me" from the GUYS AND DOLLS revival. Hilarious and perfect distillation of their particular characters in one tone.
Murray Head's voice sounding like he was wailing through completely shredded vocal chords in "Judas' Death" on the original JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR concept album. His Reprise of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" is my favorite moment on any Webber album. Such unmatchable passion.
The record-skipping gag in "Bride's Lament" from DROWSY CHAPERONE.
I'll probably come up with more, that's a random assortment of fun ones that came to mind tonight.
Words don't deserve that kind of malarkey. They're innocent, neutral, precise, standing for this, describing that, meaning the other, so if you look after them you can build bridges across incomprehension and chaos. But when they get their corners knocked off, they're no good anymore…I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.
The counterpoint in Hundred Story City from Ordinary Days. The counterpoint in It All Comes Back from Fun Home. The counterpoint in Parade of Souls from Eastland. Darius de Haas belting a B flat in the song Wildflowers on the NEO live recording. The "quarry" and "swing tree" harmonies in The Riddle Song from Floyd Collins. Bernadette's "That's another story, never mind" in the Prologue from Into the Woods "Chicken. Pastry." in Finishing the Hat from Sunday in the Park with George Adam Guettel's run up to a high B in There's a Land from Myths and Hymns The strings under "You must go see your brother in law" in A Call To Pierre from Great Comet The silence after "I'd remove my helmet" in Who I'd Be from Shrek the Musical
There's a small moment in The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess during "Bess, You is My Woman Now" when Audra sings, "Yeah..." in response to Norm Lewis that always makes me smile and takes me back to sitting in the theater :)
It isn't a cast album but Julia Mckenize did "I Dreamed a Dream" on her Broadway CD and the countermelody when she sings "And Still I Dream She'll Come to me" Gives me chils
On Cast Recordings.... Two from the original Side Show When Norm Lewis sings "When You're Married to NOTHING" from "You Should Be Loved" and during Tunnel of Love when she sings "Where is Mine?"
"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."
Stew sliding his hand up and down the neck of his guitar to simulate "We Just Had Sex" in PASSING STRANGE.
Christopher Sieber's deliberately overshot key change in "The Song That Goes Like This" from SPAMALOT.
Gregg Edelman and James Naughton's incredible harmonies on the chorus of "You're Nothing Without Me" from CITY OF ANGELS.
The drum triplets in "Knowing When to Leave" from PROMISES, PROMISES - specifically the revival, but those triplets are my favorite Bacharach affectation ever.
Joe Morton's seething anger in delivering some of Walter Lee's best Hansberry-penned dialogue on "You Done Right" from RAISIN.
Words don't deserve that kind of malarkey. They're innocent, neutral, precise, standing for this, describing that, meaning the other, so if you look after them you can build bridges across incomprehension and chaos. But when they get their corners knocked off, they're no good anymore…I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.
"Careful the tale you tell" part of Children will Listen with the harmonizing behind Bernadette. The entire last minute and a half of Kiss Me in Sweeney Todd where their voices all come together Mandy Patinkin in Sunday In the Park singing "and when the woman..." part in Finishing the Hat. The ending of Wilkommen. When the chorus is singing behind Seymour ("where the rainbows..") in Skid Row. The intro to Liasons in ALMN.
Glynis Johns in the OBC Recording of A Little Night Music in the song "You Must Meet My Wife" Her voice is dripping with sarcasm and it's ****in amazing.
Mine are basically all that still, every time I hear them, catch me.
The very last note on "I Do, I Do in the Sky" makes my jaw drop. Kecia Lewis and her fantastic high C. Kelli O'Hara singing "Iowa" in her opening number of Bridges. That one word. Betty Buckley's final note of Writing on the Wall, once again, it still freaks me out. Nell Carter's "Can't you see what you mean to me" at the end of Ain't Misbehavin' makes me tear up on occasion after all this time. Patti singing "before my PAST once again" in Meadowlark. Melba Moore's ascending scale that ends with her crazy belt in "I Got Love"
And probably so many more from so many fantastic singers.
"Contentment, it seems, simply happens. It appears accompanied by no bravos and no tears."
I guess the smallest of my favorite little moments is the tiny note played right after Julie Andrews sings "wholesome convivial joys" in Camelot's "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood."
The orchestral flourishes at the end of "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood," "I've Been Invited to a Party" (The Girl Who Came to Supper) and "I'm Me" and "This Really Isn't Me" (First Impressions).
The litle orchestral introduction to "A Little Bit in Love" (Wonderful Town).
When the train starts clangng in "Put On Your Sunday Clothes."
Liza's delivery of "falafel" in "Angel's Rink and Social Center" (The Rink) and "Polly's peach preserves/Oh please, my nerves" in "City Lights" (The Act). Liza is a priceless treasure.
In Model Behavior from Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown when Laura Benanti mimics Sherie Rene Scott talking about a spider/raisin. She sounds just like her lol