Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
#1Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 6:53pm
Just for theatre-freak fun, what are some songs within musicals that are nods or tributes to other existing musicals? (excluding blatant farce)
For example:
"The Speed Test" in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE is a nod to "My Eyes Are Fully Open" in THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
"Sunday" in TICK TICK BOOM is a nod to "Sunday" in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
#2re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 6:57pmIn the song OPENING DOORS in MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, there is a nod to SOME ENCHANTED EVENING from SOUTH PACIFIC.
#2re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 7:35pm
There is a musical called "Swimming Upstream" and the song This Boy Here is a nod to Life Support...very funny instead of Paul...they use screen names like Skanyho404...its very funny if you hear it.
misto625
Broadway Star Joined: 11/10/05
#3re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 7:47pm
"The Speed Test" melody pretty much IS "My Eyes Are Fully Open"
I think there is part of Follies where the flutes play the opening of Put On A Happy Face
What about in Spamalot where they randomly play "America?"
I3ella.Rosa
Swing Joined: 12/25/06
#4re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 7:48pmTheres a LOT of references in Urinetown to other musicals.
#5re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 7:50pmThe Musical of Musicals the musical!
"If artists were machines, then I'm just a different kind of machine...I'd probably be a toaster. Actually, I'd be a toaster oven because they're more versatile. And I like making grilled cheese" -Regina Spektor
"That's, like, twelve shows! ...Or seven." -Crazy SA Fangirl
"They say that just being relaxed is the most important thing [in acting]. I take that to another level, I think kinda like yawning and...like being partially asleep onstage is also good, but whatever." - Sherie Rene Scott
#6re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 7:50pmThere's a chord progression and melody line in "So In Love" that very closely resembles a line in "Ich Grolle Nicht." I realize that we're not talking about musical allusions to German lied, but I thought I'd throw it out there.
#7re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 7:51pmMy personal favorite: "Another hundred people just contracted the plague" from "Spamalot..." I was the only one that laughed.
Jon
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/20/04
#8re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 8:05pm
Going WAY back - in HIGH BUTTON SHOES, during the song "There's Nothing Like a Model T", the chorus sings:
Men: Let the trolley car Clang
Women: Clang Clang goes the trolley
as a salute to "Meet me in St. Louis".
Fenchurch
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/16/06
#9re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 8:53pm
The Speed Test is more than a nod to Sullivan,
If the song wasn't in public domain, they would have been sued.
ITs the exact same song with different lyrics.
"Fenchurch is correct, as usual." - muscle23ftl
yankee_fan907
Leading Actor Joined: 10/14/06
#10re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 9:03pmIn "Nine People's Favorite Thing" from [title of show] they sing, "525,600 people..." an obvious nod to the most famous song from RENT.
longshadowsfalling
Understudy Joined: 3/21/06
#11re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 9:08pm
I guess that Forbidden Broadway is too obvious? ;p
Zanna, Don't! has quite a few. There are nods to Grease and West Side Story in the opening number. Then when they're trying to decide what show to do for the school musical, Kate suggests a Sondheim revue called "Putting Putting it Together Together Together Side by Side by Side by Side by Sondheim by Sondheim" (it's a revue about making a revue about all the Sondheim musical revues). And then when Steve asks Zanna if there's anything he can't do he says that he could never whistle, to which Steve of course replies "Anyone can whistle.".
goldenstate5
Featured Actor Joined: 5/8/06
#12re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 9:09pm^Hell, in "An Original Musical" from [title of show], the 'piece of blank paper' lists about the names of two dozen musicals, the most recent being "Spamalot", as well as the song "Monkeys and Playbills" listing musical flops. Pretty much every song in it has an myraid of references...
neddyfrank2
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/23/05
#13re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 9:10pmShe says every word three times?
Fenchurch
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/16/06
#14re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 9:10pm
I know this isn't another musical, but a much more subtle nod technique used (and one I love every time I hear it) is the line from NINE
"Be Sure there's lots of"
Is the TRISTAN chord from Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. I just love love love it.
That one melodic fragment is full of so much meaning.
"Fenchurch is correct, as usual." - muscle23ftl
#15re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 9:12pm
[title of show] is full of them!
Also, the end of "The Big Dollhouse" from Hairspray is a nod to Gypsy, when Edna sings "FOR MEEEEEE!!!"
#16re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 9:16pmThen I guess at the end of Epiphany from ABZ is like the end of AIATY.
#17re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 9:21pm
I love the subtle Zombie Prom reference in [title of show], when Heidi, Hunter, Jeff, and Susan get on the phone together, and say each other's names in fast succession followed by laughter and then them squealing "Party line!"
Also, there are nods to Merrily We Roll Along in The Last Five Years. Unless Cathy singing "... and just keep rolling along" is accidental. Which I don't think it is because JRB has said that Merrily is one of his Top Ten favorite musicals.
#18re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 9:49pm
I'm not sure if this is exactly the same, but many of Bring Back Birdie's songs are essentially nods to songs from the original. "Movin' Out" is an updated "Telephone Hour", and so on.
Also weird, but I'm pretty sure Adolpho's "WhaAAAAt?" in Drowsy is the same specific phrase and emphasis as a character in Dames at Sea.
Is "Deep in the Darkest Night" (or whatever it's called) from Dracula a nod to "Into the Fire" from Scarlet Pimpernel? Hmmm.
"Born to Entertain" from Ruthless is a semi- nod to "Let Me Entertain You" from Gypsy. Also "I Want the Girl is a nod to "All I Need Is The Girl", obviously. And a lot of musicals are referenced by name is songs from Ruthless too.
I feel like the nods come constantly in musicals like [title of show], Ruthless, The Producers, Urinetown, Spamalot, etc.
Mattbrain
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/23/05
#19re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 9:52pmIn Avenue Q, Lucy The Slut spoofs Gypsy's "For me" at the end of "Special"
Dollypop
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
#20re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 9:55pmHalf of the music in PHANTOM OF THE OUTHOUSE is taken directly from Puccini's LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST--without credit to the composer, mind you!
Fenchurch
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/16/06
#21re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 10:00pm
In contrast to "The Speed Test" which is a directly appropriation of Sullivan's music for "Ruddigore", Webber's music, while very very VERY similar to Puccini's La Fanciulla Del West is not stolen, but following in the vein of Puccini's style of grand opera.
It's very very close, I'll give you that, but that's not a crime, especially since most of Puccini's music is in the public domain, just like Arthur Sullivan.
"Fenchurch is correct, as usual." - muscle23ftl
dramaqueen2
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/23/05
#22re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 10:01pmmusic of the night from phantom is a nod to come to me bend to me from brigadoon. there are a lot of parts in that song that sound exactly the same.
Dollypop
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
#23re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/10/07 at 10:01pmThe Chinese segment of CATS is the "Ping, Pang and Pong" scene from TURANDOT, also by Puccini.
#24re: Musical Nods to other Musicals (in the Music)
Posted: 2/11/07 at 6:16am
In Avenue Q, Lucy The Slut spoofs Gypsy's "For me" at the end of "Special"
Isn't Edna's "for me" from 'The Big Dollhouse' in 'Hairspray' a 'Gypsy' thing as well?
In 'Wicked', all the little "unlimited, my future is" segments are the same note progression as "somewhere over the rainbow".
Shall I point out 'La Boheme' connections in 'RENT', or are we all good? 
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