Male equivalent to "Rose's Turn" — Page 2

There may not be an exact equivalent (as if there could be), but I do agree with many of these suggestions. NINE and THE PRODUCERS seem right to me. "Buddy's Blues" from FOLLIES also shares some characteristics with "Rose's Turn," but only some.

I agree with other posters re Epiphany from Sweeney Todd but there's also "Alone" from the Joel Higgins-Martin Silvestri 1996 West End flop THE FIELDS OF AMBROSIA. I'm surprised it hasn't developed a "Meadowlark"-like following since it provides a male performer with extraordinary opportunities both dramatically and vocally (Eddie Korbich sings it stunningly on the American concept album, and Marc Joseph is good -not great- on the OLCR). It probably works better OUT of context since it starts with the innocuous sounding lyric "if it ain't one thing it's another...." which is fine except that in the show itself the character has just been gang-raped by a bunch of male prisoners. It was a very strange show, although Christine Andreas was pretty superb in it. This song is a gem though.

As somebody who saw/experienced(!) TFOA onstage I would say that your envisioning of it was pretty much spot on! There are some great tunes in there but I spent alot of the evening trying to convince myself that my eyes weren't deceiving me.

No way to compare, but some similar:

Gethsemane (JCS)
She Was There (Scarlet Pimpernel)
Jonas' Soliquoy (Leap of Faith)

Perhaps we should make the question more clear as to what factors we are calling equivalent to Rose's turn: their "tour de force" nature? Their dramatic heft?

To me, analytically, Rose's Turn is the musical theatre version of the "opera mad scene" convention. As such, the difference between a big solo number and a "Turn" can be (according to my own analysis) that a Turn has:

1. Extended length- the Turn has the singer commanding the stage for a significant segment of time beyond a typical song's requirements.
2. Episodic structure- the Turn must have distinct segments or movements.
3. Dynamic qualities of content and performance- The Turn must move the character through different mental and emotional states, and call for different kinds of singing- it can't all be belted, head voice, speak-singing, etc.
4. Some physical component- the Turn must suggest the necessity of some kind of physical action during the piece- to move downstage, hold center and "park and bark" the whole song.

What about "I Confess" from "Footloose The Musical"?

---

But Rose's Turn is at the end of the show (with only a small coda resolution remaining). It's the point where the character explodes, looking back on the whole "story," and asking, "Was it worth it?"

I agree, which is why I think Being Alive is a fairly close equivalent.

---

If directed better than the HIDEOUS Broadway version of Chess, maybe "Pity The Child"

"Rose's Turn" and "Being Alive" are the emotional culminations of their characters. Not quite on the same creative level, but Steve Lawrence in WHAT MAKES SAMMY RUN?" has a final moment with "Some Days Everything Goes Wrong" that serves as a summation of the character.

And if and when it finally gets back to Broadway, "My Man" would be the crowning moment of FUNNY GIRL.

"Zero's Confession" from Adding Machine.

There is a song that fulfills all of darquegk's requirements - Watching the Show, from the little-known 1993 musical "The Times", with book and lyrics by Joe Keenan & Mmusic by Brad Ross. When done well it leaves the audience emotionally devastated. You can listen to it here, from a studio recording of the score. It begins at about 1:18.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za4CEh6HZ0g