Most Difficult Musical Theatre Song- Page 2

[ElTico68]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 1:22pm

What about "And I'm Telling You..." and "I'm NOt Changing" from Dreamgirls...

[apdarcey]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 1:44pm

lupone's regina will be a concert version at the kennedy center this winter... it's on their website... andrew

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 1:52pm

If You Hadn't But You Did isn't difficult - it seems like it is because it's fast and has a lot of words. Try singing it - it's more fun than work.

I think this question is difficult to answer because it's not black and white - hardest to sing musically? Emotionally? To "act"?

[erniebertchitown]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 2:13pm

To add to those who've mentioned SWEENEY TODD already... there is a section for Judge Turpin when he's getting his shave that's right before "Pretty Women"...all he has to sing is "Bum"... but it's in 5/8 or some crazy tempo like that... it was one of the most difficult things I've ever sung. Learning to sing it in the correct written rhythm took forever!!! It looked easy... but sooooo deceptive!!!

While I've never sung "Glitter and Be Gay" (Ok... maybe in the shower) I would say that's a real toughy!

[broadwayguy2001]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 2:29pm

I must say that I do agree that many of Sondheim's works are difficult, has anyone listened to some of the more contemporary shows by contemporary music theatre composers such as Adam Guettel. I'm doing a performance of "Floyd Collins" this semester at the university I attend and I got the CD over Thanksgiving break and MAN, IS IT HARD! Lovely score, but there are parts where I honestly wonder how some of these actors got their notes. For a singer who knows every Sondheim show (even "Bounce"...lol), I would say this is pretty difficult.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 2:33pm

I was thinking you meant songs that were just difficult to sing cause they have horrible lyrics.

[divacathe]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 3:29pm

Sweeney Todd is a beautiful, spine tingling, friggin hard show, that's all i have to say...:)

[BJC899]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 4:07pm

That song from pirates in penzance that the general dude sings...It's super fast and so many words

[Unworthy]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 4:27pm

I think it all depends on what kind of "difficult" you're talking about.

There are those songs that are not so horrible vocally but when combined with something (either the accompaniment, the acting required, or what's happening on stage) are really hard. Most of Sweeney Todd falls into this category.

But then there are the songs that are just b*tches vocally; ranges all over the place, crazy lyrics, length (a lot of JRB stuff requires endurance), etc.

More modern musicals that don't follow traditional harmonic patterns as the earlier stuff did (although not always..and don't jump on me, I love the classics), can sometimes be more difficult to master.

It's all relative..yay!

[Jwaa]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 4:54pm

Your Fault from into teh woods isnt hard as long as you just listen to a recording of it over and over and jus sing in your part, if everyone does this it becomes a breeze.....

Getting Married Today also i dont think is that hard, me and my mate decided to learn it together and if you knew what you were syaing your fine.....

I cant really think of a hard one, i dont think a fast song can be that hard because if you know what you are doing then its fine..more just impressive...

Harder songs are ones which have a larger range demand..and ones that need certain feeling and emotion that you get recieve from just knowing timing and lyrics.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 6:08pm

The most physically demanding would have to be "Confrontation" from Jekyll & Hyde

[Candleshoe2]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 6:10pm

Rock Island from "The Music Man"

[~FloweryFriend~]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 6:10pm

"Lion Tamer" from The Magic Show

It's not that bad for the singer
But the poor musicians...
It's in 7/4 time and switches between having 5 flats and 5 sharps, and the singer totally holds the reigns on the tempo.

[Sporti2005]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 6:19pm

"green finch" is hard, but i wouldn't count it up there with the hardest. i mean yeah, sometimes the notes are a little crazy - but once you get it in your ear it makes so much sense. at least to me it did.

i would have to agree with "your fault" - how complicated, with the entrances and all!

[bjivie2]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 6:46pm

Glitter and Be Gay is definitely up there. Forgot that the first time. And Green Finch and Linnet Bird is really tough as well. Getting Married today is tough just to sing that fast without getting tongue-tied. Your Fault really isn't that hard. You just need a good music director.

If we're going for hardest physically/emotionally, I would most definitely say "And I Am Telling You" which is just high notes after high notes with emtional breakdowns and more vocal pyrotechnics. Many said that Jennifer Holliday would faint offstage after singing that song. Also hard physically is a lot of the stuff in Brooklyn, just because it is so high AND it's belted. For a song to end on a high F belted, you can't find many women that can do that 8 nights a week.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 8:18pm

My vote goes to "Pretty Little Picture" from FORUM. Of course the fact that the song barely has any reason to exist makes it even harder to deal with!

[VeuveClicquot]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 9:56pm

Since it's been mentioned, I would say that the most difficult Sondheim lyric to sing isn't "Not Getting Married" or "Green Finch and Linnet Bird."

It's that god-awful tongue-twister in "Kiss Me":

"I'm a silly little ninny noddle."

I can't even speak those words in tempo. I can't imagine how anyone can sing them.

[bjivie2]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 9:59pm

That's another good one! Let's just say the entire Sweeney Todd score.

Edit: I also have to mention "Loving You" from Passion. At least the solo version. It's got really weird (but gorgeous) key changes and intervals throughout the song.

Updated On: 1/4/05 at 09:59 PM

[Mattio98]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 10:04pm

Another Hundred People

[mizzie]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 10:04pm

Alot of the Into The Woods stuff....Maybe They're Magic especially!

[futurewinnerbud]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 10:16pm

I'm singing "Marry Me a Little" from COMPANY for a class... its so hard for me at least...

I fear for any performer who brings Giants in the Sky into an audition, I've heard stories of accompiants saying "hell no" when its stuck in their faces at auditions

Once Upon a Time... okay out of context of the show, its HARD! And Raven from Brooklyn as well

Pity The Child from Chess

I've seen maybe 2 Jason Robert Brown songs pulled off well in any enviourment outisde of a theater, and I swear every voice class someone sings something by him and something from Wicked

[wickedfan]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 10:17pm

"Kiss Me" is damn hard. I find "Green Finch" hard because the notes are all over the place, but once u get those down u think ur fine. Until u do it with an orchestra/or piano and find that what they play isn't related at all to what you sing and it's like "Whoa!" (I know this because back when I was a boy soprano my vocal coach thought she was the master and decided to have me sing it as her biggest triumph, she was messed up) Also "Your Fault" is hard in the sense of entering with your lines on time. and "Getting Married Today" is hard in the sense that you have to say all those words without sounding like ur just pretty much saying "blkshdhgfyjtdsfhg", pretty difficult.

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 10:24pm

Hard Sondheim

Simple-Anyone Can Whistle
Buddy's Blues-Follies
Weekend in the Country-ALNM
Please Hello-PO
God That's Good!-Sweeney
Opening Doors-Merrily
Finishing the Hat-SITPWG
First Midnight-ITW

And I Read from Passion seems pretty difficult.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 10:29pm

Rose's Turn
And I am Telling You I'm Not Going
ANYTHING from Sondheim

[marincrazy11]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 10:30pm

yeah-I Read looks pretty difficult, not only for the wide range of notes and rhythyms that it covers but to be able to pull off that characterization is extremely difficult. Donna Murphy was crazy good in that show!