Musicals with long stretches of no music

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Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:16pm

The question about no overture has me wondering -- what musicals have particularly long stretches where there is no music? And which musicals have a long interval at the beginning with no music? Almost every musical I can think of has some music within the first minute or so (either as the opening number, underscore, or overture).

Tom148502 had mentioned Lady in the Dark as a show with no music in the beginning -- how long is it before the first number starts?

"What was the name of that cheese that I like?" "you can't run away forever...but there's nothing wrong with getting a good head start" "well I hope and I pray, that maybe someday, you'll walk in the room with my heart"

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:21pm

I'm not sure about Lady in the Dark but musicals like The King & I and My Fair Lady have only a few lines of dialogue before a song starts, not including an overture. Most composers these days like to start the show with a song to get the audience in the mood of the show.

A little known fact is that in the original screenplay, Pan's Labyrinth was Pan's FLAByrinth. Hmmmmmmm...glad they changed it.

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:21pm

1776

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re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:24pm

Not including the overture, Babes in Arms has about five-six minutes before the first song.

I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:25pm

Drowsy doesn't start with music, and the Man in Chair speaks for a while before the overture actually starts.

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re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:37pm

As mentioned above, 1776 has a stretch of over a half hour with no music, about an hour and a half into the show.

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:42pm

With Jersey Boys, you have to wait a good 45 minutes before the Four Seasons sing their first of thier hits "Sherry." But, before that there are snippets of other songs from that era.

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:46pm

Les Mis

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:53pm

The long stretch of dialogue in 1776 is between "The Lees of Old Virginia" and "But Mr. Adams," which is about 30 minutes into the show, at best, not an hour and a half.

Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.

#10

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/5/07 at 8:41pm

Looking back over the past few years, Drowsy Chaperone probably is the new musical that goes on the longest before the music starts for the first time. IIRC, recent shows like Spring Awakening, Curtains, Jersey Boys, Mary Poppins, LoveMusik, The Color Purple, and The Woman in White all have music right from the get go, and in Grey Gardens, it starts very quickly.

#11

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/5/07 at 9:30pm

The Frogs act 2 has a lot of down time without any songs, but the first act is full of music.

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#12

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/5/07 at 11:26pm

The entire second half of Forum's Act 2. Typical of a farce; at that end point you don't want to slow it down.

- Gil http://www.broadwayabridged.com

#13

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/6/07 at 7:50am

The Producers after the opening song there is that massive office scene before the next song.

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#14

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/6/07 at 8:37am

"Tom148502 had mentioned Lady in the Dark as a show with no music in the beginning -- how long is it before the first number starts? "

There are several pages of dialogue between the leading lady, Liza Elliott, and her psychiatrist before the first musical numbers, which is the first of several musical numbers strung together with minimal dialogue. All the music in Lady in the Dark, except for "My Ship" occur during 3 musical "dream sequences." There are many scenes in the show without any music.

#15

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/6/07 at 9:19am

Lord of the Rings has long sections without songs, but not without music. Music is playing during action sequences like it was a movie.

#16

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/6/07 at 9:37am

The Wizard of Oz goes about 5 minutes from Overture to Over the Rainbow, the Wiz has about 2-3 pages of dialogue before "The Feeling We Once Had"

Company goes for a bit too, before it's title song.

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#17

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/6/07 at 9:38am

The only ones I can think of are in 1776, the Frogs, and Drowsy.

Les Miz doesn't have long stretches of no music, it is COMPLETELY music. Sung-through in the style of an opera.

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#18

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/6/07 at 9:42am

"Les Miz doesn't have long stretches of no music, it is COMPLETELY music. Sung-through in the style of an opera."

I think that was supposed to be a joke...?

Also, Pacific Overtures has some sections that go on for a while without songs. Assassins as well.

#19

re: Musicals with long stretches of no music

Posted: 7/6/07 at 11:39pm

Assassins

I haven't seen it, but was in a masterclass with the trumpet player from the revival (his name escapes me). Apparently there is 13 minutes of dialogue before a long, sustained, high note on the piccolo trumpet. 13 minutes of no music is awfully long for a musical.

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