Little moments on cast albums that you love — Page 2

The first few seconds of the South Pacific overture send chills down my spine

Armelia McQueen's high-pitched "BAH!" in Handful of Keys from Ain't Misbehavin'.

Right before the bridge in You Could Drive a Person Crazy on the London revival recording, the last-second, "I hate you!"

In Model Behavior from Women on the Verge, "Are you there?...Are you there?... Are you-okay you're not there but we need to talk".

Chandra Wilson's line in Dotty and Caroline from Caroline, or Change, "I got a boyfriend..."

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It's a little obscure now, but Shirley Booth in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I love the song Love is the Reason. The moment that is my favorite is when she pronounces "generally" as "genrarally" with an extra r, it's hilarious.
Idina Menzel's "never fear, I'll be here" in the Life of the Party...that whole performance is fantastic.
Barbara Cook and the final note of "My White Knight." (Although Barbara Cook singing anything is cause for celebration).

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As well as the previous bits mentioned from Model Behavior I love the 'What's the name of that cheese that I like?' and the 'they scratched out the number... and misspelled vagina', Benanti's delivery is just perfect.

Also the harmony at the key change in Love While You Can from If/Then on the line 'So, love wherever and whenever and however love is.' is probably my favourite little bit of the cast recording

The ensemble member who sings "And the fitting room smell like sweet perfume" during the breakdown of Miss Celie's Pants from The Color Purple Cast Recording, is a star, and worked the HELL out of that one line. I crack up every time I hear it because she did so much, on that one phrase.

MJT on he Pippin OBC in morning glow where he octaves up on the last chorus

The fact that they included the 'bows' and 'exit' music in How to Succeed

The counterpoint in 'soon/now/later' from ALNM

The incredible harmony of Linda Eder and Christianne Noll on 'In His Eyes' from Jekyll and Hyde

New one: the perfect pause from Rob McClure in 'I love Betsy' from Hineymoon on the lyric 'I like opera.....that's not true'

Jeremy Jordan's last line of the act 1 close of Santa Fe from Newsies

The moments between Sam and Molly during Unchajned Melody/The Love Inside...ugh had it on in the car and was crying like a baby in rush hour traffic

Oooh speaking of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, the part where she sings "Don't single me out, and then forget me" as the key changes with a solo trumpet behind it is one of my all-time favorite cast album moments.

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- When the strings come in after the guitar vamp in "Say It Somehow" from Light in The Piazza.
- The last chorus of "You Can't Stop The Beat" with all those voices together!
- Idina when she starts singing "Over The Moon" ('I am forbidden...') I remember where I was, what I felt the first time I heard that voice.
- All of Whitney Bashor in "Another Life" from Bridges of Madison. Just pure.
- 1969 Concept Album of JSC: Overture: the beginning of the '39 Lashes section' always gives me chills.
- The teeny, tiny 'Oh My God' in "Something Just Broke" from the 2004 Assassins -- and yes, I know that's deliberate.
- The bare, awaiting vamp in "See I'm Smiling", especially during the last chorus. Soul-crushing.
- The strings section grinding away when Len Cariou enters in "Prelude" on the OBC of Sweeney.

I am more interested in a song or the album itself than the precise minute and second or vocal inflection on a track. As far as I know, there is not a category for this with either the Tony or Grammy awards.

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"Cool Considerate Men" (1776), the breathtaking orchestration behind the mad-dog vocals when, after "...and that is why they will follow us..." "To the RIGHT..." That recording so brilliantly captures what Onna White did with the actors onstage. Prescient and Terrifying.

Barbara Harris [well, in anything] transforming from Eve to Barbera to Ella to Passionella on "The Apple Tree" album - "What Makes Me Love Him?" in Act One, into her faux-traumatized "Sajar, Sanjar, this choice is tearing me apart... " [eats grapes], to "I just wanna be a beautiful, glamorous movie star -- for its OWN sake" in Act Three quickly followed by Passionella who, when looking at her brand-new boobs, roars "LookatTHOSE!!!!" My jaw drops every time. Individually and cumulatively.

The first time I heard Robert Rounseville's first verse of "It Must Be So" on the OBC "Candide", his artistry made me gasp in awe. Still does. (And the orchestration is no mean thing, either.)

In the long opening sequence from TITANIC, the final build into "Sail On" -- orchestrally, vocally, emotionally, dramatically -- all the way through to its final note. Maybe it's because the night I first saw it (the 2nd or 3rd preview in NY) the audience was FULL of working actors [it was the Monday night after Easter], and I have NEVER heard an audience explode with applause and cheers as they did that night. Chills to be re-enjoyed on the album.

Irene Ryan "Just No Time At All" in PIPPIN's OBC recording. A vaudeville-queen tune for a vaudeville honey.

Finally, TINTYPES: Carolyn Mignini's "Toyland" and Lynne Thigpen's "Nobody". And the last chorus of "I'm Gonna Live Anyhow Till I Die". Oh. Lord. What. Artists!!!

Even though I am decidedly not a fan of Love Never Dies, I love the sound of the waves and the gulls at the very beginning of the album