Scenes You'll Never Forget — Page 4

So many here are a few.


Michael Cerveris wicked Little Town (reprise) believe it or not I went to that show 45 times

Kiki and Herb Performing Moments of Pleasure in their off broadway show.

Closing night when Tonya Pinkins sang Lot,s Wife

Around the World from Grey Gardens closing night off broadway.

Closing night of Civil War when They sang Freedoms Child

First time seeing Les Miz.

Free at last from the Deaf west production of Big River

Donna Murphy singing Conga in wonderful town

Updated On: 6/21/11 at 12:51 PM

The finale of "A Chorus Line" - Original Cast

The Finale of "The Who's Tommy"

Both these gave me chills every time!

In the Heights: When Abuela Claudia sings "Paciencia y Fe."

La Cage Aux Folles: When Albert screams "No! No!" and stops the Cagelles and says "Please" while crying in the Act 1 Finale. Heartbreaking.

Into the Woods: When the Witch tells the Baker that he is not the only person to suffer a loss when his Wife is found dead. Bernadette Peters owns as the Witch.

Brigadoon: "Come to Me, Bend to Me" is such a romantic song.

Inherit the Wind: When Henry Drummond is interrogating Matthew Harrison Brayd about evolution. Most intense scene I have ever read.

When I was eight, I saw Hairspray, the night after opening, for my first broadway show. I didn't even know what a musical was. When Harvey Feirstein entered for the first time, the audience applauded for long enough that Marissa Jaret Winokur and Kerry Butler sat down and waited it out instead of staying in the scene. That was the moment I knew I loved theatre... I'll always remember the whole show, but that moment stands out for me.

I'll also always remember Elaine Stritch's monologue at the beginning of Night Music when she talks about the three smiles. She got them all confused and then skipped the third smile and went straight to the nonexistent fourth. It was priceless. Bernadette doing Send in the Clowns was priceless in a much different way.

The moment in the reprise of I Am the One in Next to Normal where Gabe grabs Dan and hugs him gives me chills every time, even just on the recording.

The two best ending moments of shows that I've ever seen are when Bobby finally blows out the candles at the end of Company and in the 2008 revival of Gypsy when Louise walks out on Rose and the marquee fades to black.

The ending of 'Once we were Kings' in Billy Elliot.

Billy Elliot -The miners going down the lift in 'once we were kings' when the band stops, and its just acapella voices singing. so powerful.

'The Year Turns Round Again' from war horse. that whole sequence is amazing.

People strolling through the trees
Of a small suburban park
On an island in the river
On an ordinary Sunday
Sunday
Sunday

The final scene of the first act of the original production of Sunday in the Park with George, before anyone had any idea what the play was about and what these strange seemingly unrelated people could possibly have to do with one another.

When Mandy Patinkin as George massaged and manipulated the characters to complete his vision, and the music and voices swelled in magnificent harmonies, all building to the miraculous moment when the figures on the stage were replaced by the completed painting, it was simply glorious.

I was a sophomore in high school when I saw the '98 revival of Cabaret, and I can still remember that feeling like I'd been punched in the gut when the dark brick lifted to reveal the blinding white of the showers.

Two act one closers: the brilliant musical theatricality of Coram Boy when they close the first act digging up corpse after corpse of the murdered infants. And then "Angry Dance" in Billy Elliot. My friend had to take me out to a stairwell to help me calm down after that one.

Walter Lee Younger's monologue that ends with "You won't have to live next to no stinkin'....." I get chills thinking about it.

The final scene of "Blood Brothers"
Its heartrenching but beautiful.

I've loved so many shows over the years, but there are a few scenes that still stick out strongly in my mind:

RENT: "I'll Cover You: Reprise"/the funeral scene, when Angel walks slowly across the stage, draped in his white cloth as his friends deliver his eulogies. At the very last second, Angel stops, turns, and looks at his friends with a smile, and then turns to leave the stage. Incredibly poignant and very subtle.

Phantom of the Opera: the finale scene, when Christine returns her ring to the Phantom, and he professes his love to her one last time. The Phantom weeps as she leaves him, and in a rage he smashes all of the mirrors in his lair, collapses into his chair, and drapes his cloak over his body. When Meg and the mob make their way to capture him, Meg removes the cloak, only to find that he's vanished, and all that's left is his mask. She holds it up to the audience and a single white spotlight shines down on it, and the curtain slowly comes down onto the scene. Chills just typing that.

Tarzan: I wasn't a fan of this show, but the visual effects were absolutely stunning, and that opening/shipwrecked scene is still something I talk about to this day. Incredible!

The Lion King: "The Circle of Life"...such a beautiful scene and so thrilling, especially with the aisle seats we had! Moving beyond words.

American Idiot: "American Idiot"...I've never witnessed a more exciting opening number, between the curtain slowly drawing up and revealing the cast members, to all of those tvs playing and showing various media outlets at the same time. Andof course the insane energy throughout that number, carried out throughout the entire show. Also, any scene with St. Jimmy. Tony Vincentwas so mesmerizing and just absolutely brilliant in that role.

Updated On: 6/30/11 at 10:26 AM

1. The extraordinary dual scene in Millenium Approaches/ANGELS IN AMERICA where Joe and Louis tell Harper and Prior respectively that they are leaving them. The raw dynamism and emotionalism of the dialogue is ebthralling, and in both productions I've seen the ferocious energy with which it was performed took my breath away.

2. The whole of the current B'way NORMAL HEART is deeply memorable and affecting, but Ellen Barkin's coruscating monologue and the famous "milk scene" (in which Mantello and JBH ripped my heart out and then stamped on it for good measure) are etched in my memory always.

3. Seeing "One Day More" at the end of Act1 of LES MIS at the Barbican in London about a week after press night in 1985 was truly thrilling. It's a bit old hat now but, at that point, it was one of the most exciting, hair-raising musical numbers I've ever seen.