Favorite Overture(s)?

[CoolDogeGuy]

I was just listening to the OBCR of Bring it On the Musical and the overture just energized me up. Then I was thinking that I should talk about it here and ask you guys what your favorite overtures are. I'll start... my favorite overtures are from:

Bring it On the Musical, Next to Normal, Miss Saigon, Everyday Rapture, The Rocky Horror Show (2000), The Color Purple (2005), Chicago, Aladdin, Beautiful, Cats, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (I don't like how it's only 27 seconds though. It's like they just took the beginning of Pure Imagination and just said, "We'll just put this as the overture." I wish they would've taken more time and actually make it an overture), Phantom, Prince of Broadway, Candide, and Mamma Mia!

[adamgreer]

Candide is absolutely my favorite overture. I'm not a musician so I can't describe it using any sort of technical terms, but those opening chords and subsequent melody...nothing better. 

Gypsy is a distant second.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Definitely Candide, Gypsy, On the Twentieth Century, Hello Dolly!, Annie Get Your Gun, The Music Man, and many of the Rodgers & Hammerstein shows.

[evic]

Ilya Darling. Always makes me smile. It would be great music for a figure skating routine. Exciting orchestrations!!

[After Eight]

I like the overtures to Dear World, Flower Drum Song, Darling of the Day, Out of This World, Ben Franklin in Paris, Jennie, and many others.

[maxd]

MAME is one of my all time favorites

SOUTH PACIFIC

GYPSY

OKLAHOMA

FUNNY GIRL

[WhizzerMarvin]

I have to agree with A8- Dear World's overture is simply thrilling and never fails to put me in a good mood. Henry, Sweet Henry is up there for me too. 

[thirtythirtyninety]

NINE.  

MY FAIR LADY

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

 

[Itonlytakesajourney]

Hello, Dolly!, Throughly Modern Millie, The King and I, R&H's Cinderella, Newsies, Anything Goes, Crazy for You, Funny Girl, West Side Story, Legally Blonde, and Holiday Inn are my favorites.  

[mlledir]

Don't know how I'm the first to mention Carousel but - mentioned.  That is such a glorious overture, tied with Candide for all time favorites.  Also love Guys and Dolls (especially when picturing Jerry Zaks' staging).  And you all reminded me of some other amazing ones - thank you!

[henrikegerman]

PORGY & BESS

PARDON MY ENGLISH

ST. LOUIS WOMAN

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

FUNNY GIRL, GYPSY (any Jule Styne show)

SOUTH PACIFIC

Does the CAROUSEL Waltz count?

[GeorgeandDot]

Carousel

Gypsy

Porgy and Bess

Nine

South Pacific

A Little Night Music

[artscallion]

On The Twentieth Century

She Loves Me

 

[jtishere]

My Fair Lady, Candide, Gypsy, The Phantom of the Opera, really any R&H but perhaps especially The King and I

[TheatreRocks]

Hello Dolly Sunset Boulevard

 

[MVintheheartland]

South Pacific

Merrily We Roll Along

[Dollypop]

HELLO DOLLY (1994 revival)

MAN OF LA MANCHA

GYPSY

 

[Musicguy2]

1977 original production of "Annie"

[temms]

Galt MacDermot's DUDE has a thrilling overture. I'm being deadly serious, it's fantastic. It's its own piece of music not heard elsewhere in the show.

SWEET CHARITY is probably my personal favorite.

And to give credit where it's due, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has a damn effective overture. And the JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR overture is a brilliant piece of music.

PROMISES, PROMISES is superb. Has anyone said MACK AND MABEL or MERRILY? Because those too.

 

edited: Oh, pretty much everybody said MERRILY. As they should.

[Lot666]

For me, no other will ever compare to Phantom of the Opera. I still get goosebumps every time the auctioneer joins the (new) electric (light) plugs over his head, the chandelier sparks to life, and that first organ chord hits.

[raddersons]

Candide and Merrily are easily my favorites. 

Also not an overture, but The Dance at The Gym is probably my favorite instrumental ever written and is better than most (if not all) of the other songs in West Side Story. 

[theater_tech]

The Light in the Piazza

[PatrickDC]

Victor/Victoria...plus I like how it seamlessly transitions into Paris By Night and the street scene behind the scrim slowly appears. 

I agree with two already noted: R+H Cinderella and Phantom. I also like Seussical, and Spamalot was a fun number. 

And while not an overture, the enter'acte for Sunset Boulevard is a beautiful too, especially when Michael Xavier climbs on stage in those trunks. The audience was so hushed. Half wanted to applaud, half wanted to cat call! LOL What a beautiful man. 

[TheatreRocks]

Hello Dolly, Sunset Boulevard, Carousel, Prince of Broadway

[CardboardMoon]

The Man of La Mancha OBCR overture absolutely floored me the first time I heard it. I literally had to stop for a second and take it in. Hoooooly crap.

The Thoroughly Modern Millie overture comes in second for me. Such a great, upbeat, and oh-so-roaring-20's intro.