Perfection

[Out In The Sticks]

Is there any number in a musical that you think is perfect, you wouldn't want it changed, everything just works.  Not the whole musical just this one piece of perfection.

 

For its Electricity in Billy Elliott, the off stage voice, the way Billy looks, the music starts, he sings the first phrase he walks away and then comes back and continues.  The song, choreography, setting everything just works for me.  I cry every time I listen to it.

 

What is your perfect number? 

[bwayphreak234]

2 numbers immediately came to mind...
-Put On Your Sunday Clothes from Hello, Dolly!
-Solidarity from Billy Elliot

[AEA AGMA SM]

"At the Ballet" always gets me. Even in the rather middling film version, that sequence is a bright spot.

"I've Got Rhythm" from Crazy for You. Stroman's choreography builds so brilliantly in this and it's one of my favorite Act 1 finales.

"Gotta Get a Gimmick" also needs absolutely no improvements. It's far from the most complex choreography that Robbins ever created, but it's so wonderful in its simplicity and fits those three characters and the moment perfectly.

[NOWaWarning]

The end of act 1 in Dreamgirls as originally staged. It’s All Over leading into And I Am Telling You leading into Love, Love Me Baby.

[MichelleCraig]

I would agree with PUT ON YOUR SUNDAY CLOTHES. It is so joyous that I find it almost always can wring a tear out of me.

[Jarethan]

These are the ones that came to mind and for which I feel strongly meet the subject. All of these refer to the original productions:

— A Weekend in the Country from A Little Night Music
— One More Day and the finale from Les Mis
— A New Argentina from Evita
— The title number from Phantom of the Opera
— Put on Your Sunday Clothes and the title song from Hello Dolly
— The title number from Ragtime
— The Girls Upstairs, Lucy and Jessie, Who’s That Woman from Follies
— A Little Priest from Sweeney Todd
— The last 15 minutes of Nine
— Rose’s Turn (Lansbury)
— Mame and Bosom Buddies from Mame
— Betrayed from The Producers
— The Overture To South Pacific by LCT
— And I Am Telling You and Step Into the Bad Side from Dreamgirls
— The Circle of Life from The Lion King (downhill from there IMO) I
— As if We Never Said Goodbye from Sunset Blvd
— The title song and finale to Man of La Mancha
— Is Anybody There? and the finale from 1776
— Ice Cream and the title song from She Loves Me
— All That Jazz, Nowadays / Hot Honey Rag and Class from Chicago
— The scene leading up to Sylvia’s death in Finding Neverland
— Always Mademoiselle from Coco (staged by Michael Bennett)
— The opening Number of Titanic (downhill from there IMO)


I find it hard to single anything specific from Hamilton. If forced to, The Battle of Yorktown and Jefferson’s What Did I Miss?, at least with Daveed Diggs

[Alex Kulak2]

"Answer Me" from The Band's Visit

"Shy" from Once Upon A Mattress

"Suddenly Seymour" from Little Shop of Horrors