The five best 11 o'clock numbers in Broadway history
The five best 11 o'clock numbers in Broadway history #100
Posted: 8/6/13 at 9:45pm
Having seen all but Caroline or Change (although I have seen select performances from the show), I would swap out Fly Fly Away with What I Did For Love.
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The five best 11 o'clock numbers in Broadway history #101
Posted: 8/6/13 at 10:26pm"Sit Down You're Rockin' The Boat" from GUYS AND DOLLS. One of the best 11 o'clock numbers ever. If that song doesn't fit the mold of 'a song to wake the audience up near the end of the show and send them out smiling and singing' I don't know what does. The '92 revival was thrilling.
The five best 11 o'clock numbers in Broadway history #102
Posted: 8/7/13 at 10:57amI've not seen it on stage, I've only heard the recording, but would Meditation II from Shenandoah count as an 11:00 number?
The five best 11 o'clock numbers in Broadway history #103
Posted: 8/7/13 at 7:43pm
^^^If you're using Sondheim's traditional definition of "11 o'clock number" as a mid-Act II showstopper, then no.
If you're using the seemingly more common and contemporary definition of "climactic aria", then yes, "Meditation II" fulfills that purpose.
The starting times of Broadway shows have changed over the years and so has what happens at 11 pm.
Updated On: 8/7/13 at 07:43 PM
The five best 11 o'clock numbers in Broadway history #104
Posted: 8/7/13 at 9:33pm
I think "Is Anybody There?" works so well because the moment really begins with "Compliments", and the arrival of Abigail's shipment of saltpetre (Adams high), Washington's most recent and most doleful dispatch (Adams low), and then the song itself (Adams resolute). A real roller-coaster ride, and terrific theatre writing.
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