Male Showstoppers

[all that jazz]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 6:21pm

It's always hard for me to find amazing male songs since I'm always drawn to the divas. But anyway, here are some of my favorites:

Gethsemane
Juda's Death
Being Alive
I Am What I Am
Swanee
Rock-a-Bye- Your Baby with a Dixie Melody
I Don't Care Much
This is The Moment
Ol Man River
Everybody Says Don't

Which male songs do you consider showstoppers?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 6:26pm

The Only Games I Play from Falsettos

Anthem from Chess

Stars and Bring Him Home from Les Miserables

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 7:11pm

all that jazz, just a note of caution: when I was working at the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, the Four Coins, a boy-band from the 1950s, sang "Swanee", which had been one of their hits.

We had African-Americans walk out at every performance (which was surprising because the audience wasn't that diverse and we rarely had more than 8 or 10 black people to begin with).

They were very sensitive to songs that refer to "Mammy" (which would also apply to "Rock-a-bye my Baby", "My Mammy" and a lot of great songs). I love Al Jolson songs, but I can understand why the black community may hear them differently than I.

It's probably not worth the risk, unless you are black yourself and auditioning for THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS.

(I hope it's clear this is a caution based on what I've witnessed; I'm not criticizing you or accusing you of anything.)




Updated On: 7/19/13 at 07:11 PM

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 7:20pm

It hardly bears mentioning but the ultimate showstopper is:

Soliloquy (from CAROUSEL)

A quieter but very popular song:

Hey, There (PAJAMA GAME)

Lots of younger people seem to record:

Music of the Night (PHANTOM)

Of course, if you can sing it, there's:

Being Alive (COMPANY)

I heard Larry Kert stop a show with Sigmund Romberg's:

Serenade (THE STUDENT PRINCE)

If you're more a character actor than big voice:

Reviewing the Situation (OLIVER!)

And if you have more personality than voice:

Let's Not Talk About Love (LET'S FACE IT)
Tchaikovsky (LADY IN THE DARK)

(Note: skip the soliloquies in SHENANDOAH. John Cullum did them beautifully, but they are boring.)

[Glitter and be Gay]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 7:33pm

All I Care About is Love (Chicago)

The Side Step (Best Little Whorehouse)

The Impossible Dream (Man of La Mancha)

This Nearly was Mine (South Pacific)

Watching the Show (The Times)

Anthem (Chess)

Gigi (Gigi)









Updated On: 7/19/13 at 07:33 PM

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 7:34pm

PITY THE CHILD from CHESS

[Starship]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 7:45pm

Santa Fe from Newsies?

[WickedOne2]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 7:48pm

Being Alive - Company
Can't Take My Eyes off of You - Jersey Boys
Petrified - Taboo

[hanabana]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 8:03pm

Here are some that I really like and think are showstopper worthy. I don't know if all of them would really be considered showstoppers though, especially considering the timing of them in the performances:

Confrontation - Jekyll & Hyde
Goodbye - Catch Me If You Can
Raise A Little Hell - Bonnie & Clyde
Memphis Lives in Me - Memphis
I've Been, and I'm Alive - Next To Normal

[WicaS]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 8:15pm

@GavestonPS. I already know my question's gonna sound stupid, but I need to ask it anyway : What makes Being Alive such a hard song to sing? I mean I know it's not a piece of cake, after all it IS Sondheim, but the highest note is A flat, otherwise Bobby hits only a couple of Fs in it.

But I agree, BEING ALIVE is one great showstopper.

[rhdery]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 8:30pm

What Kind of Fool am I?

The Kid Inside

I Believe

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 8:43pm

Can anyone think of a male equivalent to something like "The Music and the Mirror" or "I'm a Brass Band"? A really dance-heavy male showstopper?

[artscallion]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 8:59pm

Funny from City of Angels
Sunset Blvd from Sunset Blvd

[all that jazz]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 9:00pm

Thanks for the advice, Gav. I wasn't plannig on performing the songs anyway, but it's still good to know. I love Al Jolson as well.

Sing, "All I Really Need is the Girl", and "I Can Do That" come to mind.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 9:22pm

@GavestonPS. I already know my question's gonna sound stupid, but I need to ask it anyway : What makes Being Alive such a hard song to sing?

Because to really work, the song should be set at the very top of the singer's range. (Frankly, that was what was lacking in Larry Kert's rendition: it was obvious he could sing every note and then some.)

Dean Jones' remains the definitive version to me because every time I hear it, I'm really not sure if he will make it through the number or not. And that's how the song should be sung.

All IMO, obviously.

P.S. There was nothing stupid about your question. I'm sure others here will disagree with me.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 9:23pm

Can anyone think of a male equivalent to something like "The Music and the Mirror" or "I'm a Brass Band"? A really dance-heavy male showstopper?

"It's Not Where You Start, It's Where You Finish" from SEESAW.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 9:40pm

You Should Be Loved - Sideshow
Into the Fire - Scarlet Pimpernel
TITM - J/H

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 10:13pm

A classic showstopper from a classic play:

Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat - Guys and Dolls

Updated On: 7/19/13 at 10:13 PM

[all that jazz]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 10:20pm

For me Being Alive it's an immensely challenging number to perform in the sense that the emotions and the singing go hand in hand. The higher you sing it, the more powerful and emotional it becomes. Those final notes should sound like an explosion, and no one can deliver the song as Raul does, at least for me.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 10:39pm

Sunset Boulevard and Love Changes Everything have some really nice nuances and those killer money notes at the end. Great songs for men.

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 10:47pm

I've Got Your Number from LITTLE ME

All I Need Is The Girl from GYPSY

[jnb9872]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 10:50pm

Being Alive's final notes *could* be done the way Raúl did it, which I find incredibly satisfying and electrifying and stunning, or it could be done the way my other favorite rendition of the song was performed, which is Adrian Lester's from the Donmar production. His take was bruised and battered, emotionally devastating, filled with a lump in his throat that the final notes cleared away, but not all the way. Or do it the way NPH did two years ago, where it seems to fall in on itself and frightens Bobby with the thought of it.

A couple of other showstoppers:

Molasses to Rum and/or Is Anybody There? (1776)
Betrayed (THE PRODUCERS) (literally a show-stopper)
This Is Not Over Yet (PARADE)
She Loves Me (SHE LOVES ME) (I've seen this song get an ovation before Georg even starts singing, the audience was that ready for the joy to explode)
Make Them Hear You (RAGTIME)

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 6:35pm

I believe- Book of Mormon
Where is the life that late I led- Kiss me Kate
Epiphany- Sweeney Todd

[TheatreKid3]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 8:03pm

Both male dance showstoppers I can think of are from the same show:

"Angry Dance" & "Electricity" from BILLY ELLIOT.

I think the latter is the closest thing to a male "Music and the Mirror."

Updated On: 7/20/13 at 08:03 PM

[DrJekyll]

Posted: 7/20/13 at 8:12pm

"If I Can't Love Her" Beauty & The Beast.