Musicals with long stretches of no music
Musicals with long stretches of no music
#1Musicals 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?
#2re: Musicals with long stretches of no music
Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:21pmI'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.
#2re: Musicals with long stretches of no music
Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:21pm1776
#3re: Musicals with long stretches of no music
Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:24pmNot including the overture, Babes in Arms has about five-six minutes before the first song.
Yero
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/29/06
#4re: Musicals with long stretches of no music
Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:25pmDrowsy doesn't start with music, and the Man in Chair speaks for a while before the overture actually starts.
Jon
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/20/04
#5re: Musicals with long stretches of no music
Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:37pmAs mentioned above, 1776 has a stretch of over a half hour with no music, about an hour and a half into the show.
#6re: Musicals with long stretches of no music
Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:42pmWith 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.
sondhead
Broadway Star Joined: 10/25/06
Smaxie
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/26/05
#8re: Musicals with long stretches of no music
Posted: 7/5/07 at 7:53pmThe 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.
#9re: Musicals with long stretches of no music
Posted: 7/5/07 at 8:41pmLooking 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.
#10re: Musicals with long stretches of no music
Posted: 7/5/07 at 9:30pmThe Frogs act 2 has a lot of down time without any songs, but the first act is full of music.
"Watching a frat boy realize just what he put his d!ck in...ex's getting std's...schadenfruede" ~ Ave Q
"when dangers near, exploit their fear" ~ Reefer Madness the Musical
BroadwayAbridged
Stand-by Joined: 2/2/07
#11re: Musicals with long stretches of no music
Posted: 7/5/07 at 11:26pmThe entire second half of Forum's Act 2. Typical of a farce; at that end point you don't want to slow it down.
#12re: Musicals with long stretches of no music
Posted: 7/6/07 at 7:50amThe Producers after the opening song there is that massive office scene before the next song.
Tom148502
Featured Actor Joined: 5/21/07
#13re: 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.
ErinDillyFan
Broadway Star Joined: 7/14/06
#14re: Musicals with long stretches of no music
Posted: 7/6/07 at 9:19amLord of the Rings has long sections without songs, but not without music. Music is playing during action sequences like it was a movie.
husk_charmer
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/19/06
#15re: 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.
Josh Freilich
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/17/06
#16re: 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.
#17re: 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.
trpguyy
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/25/05
#18re: 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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