Post Your Favorite Broadway Ballads

[miles]

No special order, and there are a thousand I left out:

Think of Me
(Phantom of the Opera)

Bring Him Home
(Les Miserables)

Empty Chairs & Empty Tables
(Les Miserables)

Memory
(Cats)

Sabbath Prayer
(Fiddler on the Roof)

Hey There
(Pajama Game)

Maria
(West Side Story)

Don't Cry for me Argentina
(Evita)

Easy to be Hard
(Hair)

Day by Day
(Godspell)

 

[Basia]

Think of Me (phantom of the opera)
Angel of Music (ditto)
Memory (Cats)
Music of the Night (Phantom of the Opera)
Want to Live in America (West Side Story)
Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Wizard of Oz)
Summer Nights (Grease)

 

[Rick DeVille]

What about the classic O What a Beautiful Morning from Oklahoma? How can you not idolize a song that contains the immortal line:
The corn is as high as an elephants eye

Pure fucking poetry.

Another favorite is:
I'm Just a Girl who can't Say no Sends shivers down my backbone

The whole production was full of sex and corn, a hint of gay orgies between farmhands and cowboys:
(Why can't the Cowboy & the Farmer be Friends)
as well as gothic sex before it was popular;
Poor Judd is Dead

I'm suprised it wasn't censored or completely banned.

Fucking classic. Why don't they do a remake movie with Brad Pitt as Judd?

This is the longest post I have ever done

 

[Sassy7]

My favorites:

Music of the Night (Phantom of the Opera)
The Phantom of the Opera (Phantom of the Opera)
Memory (Cats)
Maria (West Side Story)

 

[seXieleXie]

La Vie Boheme (Rent)
525,600 Minutes (Rent)
Bring Him Home (Les Mis)
Far From the Home I Love (Fiddler)
Luck Be A Lady (Guys & Dolls)
Judas' Death (JCSS)

and about a million more

 

[Rick DeVille]

Miles, is there something you want to tell us?

You sitting down there drinking Mint Juleps ( bet you make a nice one) and listening to broadway music? Is the house neat and tidy?

 

[miles]

Mint Juleps?

Had one and thought I was gonna die.

Bourbon, sugar, and a sprig of mint.

Enough to gag a fucking maggot.

 

[Rick DeVille]

Re: Mint Juleps?

Had one and thought I was gonna die.

Bourbon, sugar, and a sprig of mint.

Enough to gag a fucking maggot.

Ok, I feel better now

 

[Barb Dwyer]

Too many to choose from - but a nice way to end the evening.

Camelot - If ever I would leave you
Evita - You must love me
Jesus Christ Superstar - Heaven on their minds
King and I - Shall we Dance?
Fiddler on the Roof - Sabbath Prayer
Yentl- Papa can you hear me?
Hello Dolly - It only takes a moment
Funny Girl - Don't rain on my parade
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat- Close every door
Sound of Music - Allelujah; Something Good
Annie - Maybe
Cinderella - Ten minutes ago
Chicago- Razzle Dazzle
South Pacific - This nearly was mine; A cock-eyed optimist (which is almost as good as Rick's Oklahoma lyrics)

 

[lavender]

 

[seXieleXie]

Too many to choose from - but a nice way to end the evening.

Jesus Christ Superstar - Heaven on their minds

how could i forget? i looooove that song...

(Judas)

My mind is clearer now
At last
All too well
I can see
Where we all
Soon will be
If you strip away
The myth
From the man
You will see
Where we all
Soon will be

Jesus!

You've started to believe
The things they say of you
You really do believe
This talk of God is true

And all the good you've done
Will soon be swept away
You've begun to matter more
Than the things you say

Listen Jesus
I don't like what I see
All I ask is that you listen to me
And remember
I've been your right hand man all along
You have set them all on fire
They think they've found the new Messiah
And they'll hurt you when they find they're wrong

I remember when this whole thing began
No talk of God then, we called you a man
And believe me
My admiration for you hasn't died
But every word you say today
Gets twisted 'round some other way
And they'll hurt you if they think you've lied

Nazareth's most famous son
Should have stayed a great unknown
Like his father carving wood
He'd have made good
Tables, chairs and oaken chests
Would have suited Jesus best
He'd have caused nobody harm
No one alarm

Listen Jesus, do you care for your race?
Don't you see we must keep in our place?
We are occupied
Have you forgotten how put down we are?
I am frightened by the crowd
For we are getting much too loud
And they'll crush us if we go too far
If we go too far

Listen Jesus to the warning I give
Please remember that I want us to live
But it's sad to see our chances weakening with ev'ry hour
All your followers are blind
Too much heaven on their minds
It was beautiful, but now it's sour
Yes it's all gone sour
Ah --- ah ah ah --- ah
God Jesus, it's all gone sour

Listen Jesus to the warning I give
Please remember that I want us to live
So come on, come on, listen to me.
Ah --- ah
Come on, listen, listen to me.
Come on and listen to me.
Ah --- ah

 

[JazzManJim]

I"m afraid I"m going to be the curmudgeon here. Though I do like a lot of Broadway stuff, there's not a single ballad I really like. I'm just not really a ballad kind of guy. <shrugs>

 

[seXieleXie]

man oh man... my mom is gonna be pissed but i have got to break out with the vinyl tonight. the broadway cast recording of jesus christ super star is coming first.

it's just a musical kinda night for lexie

 

[nasty]

To Lexie,

"Think of me. Think of me fondly, when we say good-bye." I also like all those songs from Phantom, that were nentioned. Also, I can't remember the name, but, it's the song Christine sings well at her Father's grave. What can I say, I've only seen Phantom and Cats

 

[GeorgiaPeach69]

West Side Story-"A Place For Us"
Rent-"525, 600 Minutes"
Les Miserables-"On My Own"
Carousel-"If I Loved You"
Jesus Christ Superstar-"I Don't Know How to Love Him"
Oklahoma (hey, I like corn and cowboys! )-"People Will Say We're In Love"
Cats-"Memory"

 

[Desdemona]

Some Enchanted Evening South Pacific

Matchmaker, Matchmaker Make Me A Match Fiddler on the Roof

 

[nasty]

Nevermind. My think-o-meter has shut off. When you said Broadwqay play, I thought you meant, you've actually seen them on Broadway. In that case, I've seen Grease, and, "Summer Nights is a very cool song.

 

[T.H. Oughts]

If I Loved You, Carousel.
I Have Dreamed, King and I.
Not While I'm Around, Sweeney Todd.
Send In The Clowns, A Little Night Music.
Somewhere, West Side Story.

 

[lavender]

 

[JennyOmanHill]

• "If Ever I Would Leave You", CAMELOT
• "Music of the Night", THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
• "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables", LES MISERABLES
• "Dear One", KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN

 

[ranajja]

Favourites

To sing: How are Things in Glocca Mora--Finian's Rainbow

I Don't Know How to Love Him--Jesus Christ Superstar--(JCS--Ohhhhhh, don't get me started.....)

Hello, Young Lovers--The King and I

He Played the Violin--1776

The Villja Song--The Merry Widow


Favorites to hear (or, I wish I could sing):

Maria--West Side Story

Johanna--Sweeny Todd

Bring Him Home--Les Mis

If Ever I would Leave You--Camelot

Some Enchanted Evening--South Pacific

My Little Girl--Carousel


I know there's more, but my feeble brain can't think of 'em right now...

 

[JazzManJim]

the broadway cast recording of jesus christ super star is coming first.

Then let me share my best "musical" memory.

About four years ago now I played in the pit for a local community theater which was celebrating their 5-th anniversary. They wanted something kind of special and chose Sueprstar. They asked me into the pit because I play bari sax and can transpose some of the bottom instruments like the cello and bassoon and bass guitar. In fact, I ended up playing off the bass book the whole time and it was one hell of an adventure - about 85 percent improvised.

The schedule ran for four weekends, plus the last two Wednesdays of the month and they were expecting a decent turnout. they had no idea what was going happen.

Opening weekend was a smash. Everyone was on their game, and even going a bit above. Jesus, Judas, Mary - everyone was stellar and it started a buzz that picked up the next weekend. We went from a 75 percent full house on the first weekend to 90 percent the next, then sold out performances after that. IN fact, by the third weekend, every single show had been sold out in advance. They brought in folding chairs and packed them in to the very limit. We could feel the crowd's buzz and it translated into the show. There were electric moments - the night I improvised the best bass line of my life for "What the Buzz" and helped the pit turn the song from a hot tune into a rock throwdown, the first alone scene with Mary and Jesus which became so intimate you could feel the tension in the audience, and then there was THE MOMENT.

It hit during the third weekend, on Saturday night. We were cruising through the show and it was going great. The audience was rapt (I was facing them and could see it. There wasn't even a cough during the show). Then came the lashing scene. As it started, we hit the music and the lashes started to fall. The guy playing Pilate was just looming in the character that night and every lash he counted out earned a slight crescendo from us. At 15, we were like a freight train heading for a dead end. The audience was on the edge of their seats and squirming. By 20, people were visibly wincing, but couldn't turn away. We in the pit were just getting warned up, though. By 30, the guitar started his solo and when he lit into it, it sounded like the Devil himself was presiding over the lashing. The crowd had pressed in so far that the guy doing the lashing barely had room to move and they were screaming for blood like the most rabid pro wrestling audience I had ever heard. By 35, we were at full forte - a musical juggernaut that was taking everyone for the ride the whole way. Jesus by this time was on his face, nearly curled up and there were people in the audience crying. Nearly 600 people in a house meant to seat 550 - and every single person had their eyes stage right. You could have dropped a bomb in there and no one would have cared. This was the show - the ONLY show - right there.

When the final lash struck and Pilate cried ""STOP!", there was a moment of complete silence. YOu could hear sobbing from the audience. The "crowd" on stage was poised like an animal and Pilate gave Jesus his chance. When Jesus gasped out his denial it was almost a whisper, but it carried the hall like he had shouted. His line electrified the audience once more. Pilate reared up like he ahd been struck and you could hear the entire crowd gasp and a few sobbing "No"s could be heard. When Pilate gave his funal judgement and the musical downbeat hit, you could see the audience sag, as if he had pronounced judgement on them.

After the scene, there was a more than normal break before the next scene. We in the pit kind of shook our heads and looked at each other as if to say "What the hell just happened here". When the show wrapped, we, cast and pit, all met behind the theater and hugged and hooted and basically let out our "Wow"s. It was a moment that defined the show for everyone of us. We couldn't have pulled it off if we had really tried to do what we had just done.

The word of mouth picked up and, for the first time in the theater's 50 years, they extended a show - three more performances. I still get folks who come up to me and tell me they had seen it and want to talk about it. I'm telling you right now that no matter what else I do musically in my life, I'll be hard-pressed to match that moment.

Later, I'll tell you about the night I scared Judas on stage (in the same weekend).

 

[GeorgiaPeach69]

Damn, JazzMan!

What a great story!

I love that scene...I still hold my breath, even thought I've seen and heard it a zillion times.

Looking foward to hearing the Judas story.

 

[ranajja]

JCS

JazzMan--

Too cool--thanks

I saw an excellent production of JCS about a year ago--I know exactly the moment you're talking about--and yeah, I was one of the boo-hoo-ers

That show is so dang well written--music, lyrics--brilliant...


And I've often wondered if Tim Rice knew when he penned them, exactly how insightful his lyrics really are...

 

[seXieleXie]

Jimmie

Later, I'll tell you about the night I scared Judas on stage (in the same weekend).

Okay "Judas Death" is playing now and i'm feeling a little weepy. This show always gets me because it was the very first I ever teched for and thus will always hold a special place in my heart. I've been such a good girl, can I hear the story now?

pretty please?