Male equivalent to "Rose's Turn"
#25Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/4/13 at 12:55pmThere 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.
#26Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/4/13 at 1:00pmMeditation from Shenandoah.
"In Oz, the verb is douchifizzation." PRS
ajh
Broadway Star Joined: 5/6/11
#27Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/4/13 at 1:07pmI 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.
#28Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/4/13 at 1:13pmI enjoyed "Fields of Ambrosia" on the concept and cast recordings, but primarily by picturing it as a bizarre, campy fusion of "The Music Man," "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile." It definitely has that Stephen King prison mythos feel to it, albeit in a very odd kind of way.
ajh
Broadway Star Joined: 5/6/11
#29Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/4/13 at 1:16pmAs 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.
#30Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/4/13 at 1:58pm
I think the "Right Girl" captures more of a Rose's Turn esque breakdown than the pastiche "Buddy's Blues".
#31Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/4/13 at 2:52pm
No way to compare, but some similar:
Gethsemane (JCS)
She Was There (Scarlet Pimpernel)
Jonas' Soliquoy (Leap of Faith)
#32Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/4/13 at 3:27pm"Soliloquy" and "Is Anybody There?" are great choices. And how about "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face"?
#33Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/4/13 at 3:48pm
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.
#34Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/4/13 at 3:54pm
"I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" seems like it could be compared to "Rose's Turn". Also, "I Can't Make This Movie", "Being Alive", "Live, Laugh, Love", "Buddy's Blues", and "The Right Girl" are great examples.
I don't know if men will ever get something as brilliant as "Rose's Turn". Lord knows I'd kill to perform that number on a big stage with a full orchestra.
#35Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/4/13 at 4:12pmWhat about "I Confess" from "Footloose The Musical"?
#37Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/4/13 at 7:03pm
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.
Thparkaly
Stand-by Joined: 9/11/12
#38Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/5/13 at 12:38pmNot many changes in musical style, and it may be a bit of a stretch, but maybe "Reviewing the Situation" from Oliver? Just a thought.
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#39Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/5/13 at 12:40pmIf directed better than the HIDEOUS Broadway version of Chess, maybe "Pity The Child"
#40Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/5/13 at 1:02pm
I agree with a lot of these other choices, too! I didn't mean to imply there were only two or three out there.
Whether or not they have the impact of a "Rose's Turn" moment can depend a lot on the performer's ability, the director's ability, the staging, and even the orchestra.
Rose may be up there alone on stage, but she's far from alone in putting that number across during the show.
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
#41Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/5/13 at 10:33pm
"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.
jwsel
Featured Actor Joined: 8/2/05
#42Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/6/13 at 4:37amAs others have already said, Jonas Soliloquy from Leap of Faith. It is precisely this kind of song. It has the same changes of tone and emotion, serving as the emotional laying bare of the main character. Unfortunately, the character has been so poorly written by that point, has no depth or motivation, and flip back and forth between con man with a heart and utter douchebag without explanation that the Soliloquy felt on-stage like "Here's the big emotional, soul-searching, break-down scene that you have seen done better in other shows."
sparrman
Broadway Star Joined: 2/21/07
Wilmingtom
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/11
#44Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/6/13 at 2:36pm"Soliloquy" from Carousel is the closest you'll come.
#45Male equivalent to
Posted: 4/6/13 at 3:00pm
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
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