Sondheim's best and worst act 1 closers

I was listening to "Merrily" today, and love the show, but I just think that act 1 closing with "Now you know" is pretty weak.

first off, with the unorthodox timeline of the show, the audience has no build up of a dramatic arc in the first act. they know how things end, but have no idea where they started. I think it leaves the audience underwhelmed IMO.

the Act 1 finale is supposed to get the audience excited as to what will happen next to the characters and to the story; to leave them hanging in suspense. given that definition, I say that Sweeney is his best Act 1 closer with "a little priest" being the masterpiece that it is, it does everything an Act 1 finale should do: thicken the plot, but not give too much away, leave the audience in suspense and wanting more.

I thought of "Ever after" from ITW as the best, but since all the problems get solved within the action of Act 1, it feels more like a strong ending more than an Act 1 finale. except for the "to be continued...." the audience could leave at that point satisfied at what they have seen becuase everything has been wrapped up.


so what do you think is his best, and worst Act 1 Finales?

---

Best: Assassins

Worst: Company (when Mary Me A Little is Added)

---

Best: Sunday in the Park With George.

Have to think about the worst though...

I completely agree about "Now You Know" being a fairly weak first act ending for Merrily We Roll Along.

Best: Sunday, A Little Priest

I quite like "Marry Me A Little" as the Act I closer for Company... it's certainly better than ending right after the scene that follows "Getting Married Today."

That's true, Princeton. In Doyle's Company production they do the a short chorus of "Bobby Baby"s, the scene ends and then "Marry Me A Little" closes the act. I thought that worked well, and that's the only production I've seen that included that song.

Mary Me A Little is a dull song. It slows down the close of the act and makes Act 1 so unbearably long, especially coming right after the frenetic "Not Getting Married".

---

Updated On: 5/18/06 at 12:54 PM

Munk - did you actually see BOUNCE? I thought by the end of Act One the show was finally on track (and most of ACt Two was brilliant, only to fall flat at the very end.) The angry reprise of "Bounce" was satisfactory as a climax of Act One.

DO I HEAR A WALTZ has a ratrher lame Act One close ("Take the Moment?") - nice tune but bland and not building much "what will happen" tension.

ANYONE CAN WHISTLE - the Act One Finale ("Simple") is fantastic but the Act II close (its in 3 acts) is a long ballet based on "Everybody Says Don't" showing the cookies being set free.

MERRILY WE ROLL ALOMG has a great song to conclude Act one :
Now you know
Life is crummy
Well now you know...
It's called flowers wilt
It's called apples rot
It's called theives get rich and saints get shot
It's called god don't answer prayers a lot
Ok Now you know!

But the original Broadway choreography was sloppy. The one cute idea with the dance arrangement was that it actually played the key tunes from Act One ... forward, segueing into "Old Friends", to "Franklin Shepard Inc" and finally "Rich and Happy" as they formed a conga line. Yes..a conga line!!!

After seeing it my friends were all making fun of it until I pointed out that the number was very much in the style that might have been seen in a Broadway musical circa 1966! You gotta think of these things.

---

Best: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC - "A Weekend in the Country" is genius. My favorite Sondheim song and one of the great first act finales of all time.

Worst: I don't have one.

BEST:
A Weekend in the Country (ALNM) - incredible writing
Sunday (SITPWG)
A little Preist (ST)
Ever After (ITW)

Not Best:
Bring Me my Bride (A Funny..) - never crazy about this song

Night Music and Sweeney. I love the Act One of Sunday as well, but as someone else said, it completes the story in a way that initially makes the second act look a little bit like a tacked-on afterthought...

I like that idea! Emotionally, I love Act 1 George running and taking the glasses off the girl before finally freezing the painting that meant so much to him (with Dot - 'there she is, there she is' etc), but I'd go for the more dramatically satisfying solution you present everytime. Very interesting...

JBSinger - I agree. "Bring Me My Bride" (FORUM) is not a good 1st Act finale.

Updated On: 5/19/06 at 10:15 AM

Best:
1)"Sunday"-Sunday In The Park With George
2)"A Weekend In The Country"-A Little Night Music
3)"A Little Priest"-Sweeney Todd
Worst:
1)"Marry Me A Little"-Company
2)"Ever After"-Into the Woods