Musicals Without Overtures

[CapnHook]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 11:42am

Can anyone name musicals with overtures?

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 11:44am

gypsy
peter pan
mamma mia
guys and dolls
.
.
.
.
.

[bwaylyric]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 11:49am

Rent?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 12:12pm

GYPSY has an overture.

Bulldog. Updated On: 12/22/03 at 12:12 PM

[Deena Jones2]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 12:13pm

Do you want WITH or WITHOUT, Capn'????

[onceadancer2]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 12:16pm

From my generation:

Music In The Air - 1932
Roberta - 1933
Lady In The Dark -1941
Sound of Music - 1959

[~*The Broadway Baby*~]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 12:40pm

Into The Woods - Sondhiem
Sweeney Todd....errrr maybe this has one hmm. Please correct me if I'm wrong

[BrdwyThtr]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 2:14pm

The Rocky Horror Show
The Lion King

[bob8rich]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 2:35pm

"Sweeney Todd" does not have an overture - just a short "Prelude". And no production I have ever seen of "Into The Woods" has had an overture either. In fact, few Sondheim shows have an overture, the major exception being "Merrily We Roll Along", which has a wonderful overture - and "A Little Night Music" has an overture which is sung by the Liebeslieder singers.

Most "older" musicals had overtures (e.g. "South Pacific", "The King And I", "My Fair Lady", etc.) while most "modern" musicals do not, often preferring to ease into the dramatic content of the show more naturally.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 2:37pm

"Sweeney Todd....errrr maybe this has one hmm. Please correct me if I'm wrong"

No, Sweeney does not have an overture - just a musical prelude.
An overture is like a musical preview of a show.

Other musicals with overtures:

Annie
Oklahoma
Kind and I

Just about any R & H show.

[TheBalladeer]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 2:40pm

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

All G&S Operettas

Candide

Urinetown

The Most Happy Fella

And plenty of others.

You will find that most older musicals have them, as another poster previously pointed out.

Cheers,
The Balladeer

[bob8rich]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 2:43pm

No, Sweeney does not have an overture - just a musical prelude.
An overture is like a musical preview of a show.

I don't wish to be pedantic - but an "overture" and a "prelude" are musically quite different things. Most musicals have a prelude of some kind - often just a few bars which lead into the action - and is an intergral part of the action itself. A full blown overture is something that is played before the show begins and usually contains musical themes from a number of the songs in the show.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 3:20pm

I'm confused - The topic is musicals without overtures, yet the question is musicals with overtures? Which is it going to be?

[Craig]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 3:23pm

umm I was sure candide has an overture.. a very lovely one.. at least I have it on an overtures cd... or was that a listing for a show that did have an overture? This is the worst thread ever! lol

[ChristineDaae]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 3:39pm

Rent doesn't have an overture.

[Bway_Mill_Fan]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 4:05pm

Millie has an overture. would you say that the first couple of seconds of Wicked is an overture?

[eandan]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 4:10pm

yes.. its 50 seconds

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 6:31pm

Jekyll & Hyde ?

[liaghatgals]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 7:12pm

The Boy From Oz has a prelude but not an overture

[~*The Broadway Baby*~]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 7:28pm

COMPANY

[WhatDoINeedWithLove?]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 7:42pm

Hairspray doesn't, but there is a little prelude

[bially082]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 7:45pm

Once Upon a Mattress has an Overture.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 8:15pm

A Chorus Line has no overture.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 9:46pm

"I don't wish to be pedantic - but an "overture" and a "prelude" are musically quite different things. Most musicals have a prelude of some kind - often just a few bars which lead into the action - and is an intergral part of the action itself. A full blown overture is something that is played before the show begins and usually contains musical themes from a number of the songs in the show."

I thought that's what I said. That's what I meant when I said "a musical preview of the show." Sweeney's prelude is the funeral organ music which leads right into "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd," which, in the score is refered to as the prologue.

[musicalthespis]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 10:05pm

The musical Lucky Stiff doesn't have an overture. Flaherty and Ahrens first work I believe.