Not a big fan of A Chorus Line Revival's Opening of I Hope I get It...it goes a little slow i think, imo. I did not see the original production, but judging by the cast recording of the original A Chorus Line's I Hope It Get It, it seems to be better.
Best opening i would have to say is probably between Wicked and Phantom of the Opera.
Also, NOT to say this is the best/worst opening, but if you have heard the Jersey Boys opening(Ces Soirees La) it throws you off a little bit, as to what type of a show you are going to be seeing, but the song is good after the first time of seeing the show.
Come on babe we're gonna paint the town...and all that jazz...
Umm, Cock-Eyed Optimist isn't the opening song of South Pacific; Dites-Moi is. I did the show last year as our spring musical, so I know that for sure. But I will agree that is a very weak opening. I like Cock-Eyed Optimist for some reason though. It's catchy.
And I must say the first chords of WICKED, as cliche as this is, are very thrilling and a great beginning to a show. The only other Broadway show I've seen is Spelling Bee and that opening with everyone coming in various entrances while singing the song is very enjoyable as well.
"Perhaps I'm an idiot, but wasn't the opening of ACL sped up for the OBCR, but was actually the same speed as it is on the Revival CR?"
No this is such a mis conception. Go watch the original cast at the archives at Lincoln Center. You can't see anything but you can hear that the opening was taken at the tempo preserved on the OCR.
i love long openings like Into the Woods and A Chorus Line....even though i was not a wedding singer fan, i thought the opening was good, but then the rest of the show was blahhhhhh
but the best best best opening was the opening to drowsy chaperone. I HATE THEATER...yes, i realize it wasn't an opening NUMBER persay
not sure about worst opening numbers because i definitely try to forget about them hehehe.....
I definitely agree It's Your Wedding Day is an amazing song! I only saw it performed on the Tony Awards, but I really wanted to see the show and I was disheartened when I found out it was closing. And I really like Fancy Dress from Drowsy too. Good choices!
No this is such a mis conception. Go watch the original cast at the archives at Lincoln Center. You can't see anything but you can hear that the opening was taken at the tempo preserved on the OCR.
Well, I guess I am an idiot then. *shrug* It's just what I saw someone else say on here.
That's cool though. I like it so much more when it's faster.
"Rock Island" is fairly weak, however I'll always have a soft spot for it from playing one of the salesmen in middle school... I would say best are Drowsy and Urinetown
"I'm tellin' you, the only times I really feel the presence of God are when I'm having sex and during a great Broadway musical." - Nathan Lane - Jeffrey
Best up-tempo vaudeville song: Comedy Tonight from A Funny Thing Happened
Best up-tempo dance/ensemble number: Magic to Do from Pippin
Best use of curtains in a opening number: 42nd Street
Most exciting staging for an opening number: Lion King.
Best overture: now that would be a whole different ball game and there is only one candidate anyway: Mack and Mabel
I can think of so many bad shows and openings that left me feeling , 'is it going to improve or was that their best shot already? How many people will I have to annoy to get out of my seat and go?
A few candidates: Martin Guerre in London (folk digging potatoes). Woman in White (bad opera doesnt make a good musical) Carrie ( I thought I had died and gone to Hell)
Funny, I thought the opening for Wicked was the weakest of the whole show. Especially staging-wise, it really seemed that performers were moving at random, and I was really hoping the rest of show would be more exciting than that.
Listen, I don't take my clothes off for anyone, even if it is "artistic". - JANICE