Top 10: Showtunes
Thursday 27th May, 8.55am
Not everyone quite ‘gets’ showtunes but to those in the know, there’s no better form of music to cheer you up when you’re blue, inspire sing-alongs, or just just dance around the living room to when nobody is looking. These 10 numbers are the very best (in my opinion) that musical theatre has ever yielded. Disagree? Use the comments box.
10) Can’t Stop The Beat – Hairspray
A fast-paced, feel-good number that celebrates being yourself; what’s not to like? Add a healthy dash of musical comedy courtesy of Edna Turnblad’s “you can’t stop my knife and fork when I see a Christmas ham” line and you have a brilliant modern showtune that, unlike many modern showtunes, avoids trying too hard to sound poppy, rocky, or anything other than stagey.
9) Music of the Night – Phantom of the Opera
Not every showtune can be upbeat, sometimes a show calls for atmospheric, melancholy music and who better to provide it than Andrew Lloyd Webber. Poetic lyrics and delicate music combine well and — more importantly — fit the characterisation of the Phantom beautifully, implying a sort of baroque pseudo-insanity.
Phantom-dog awaits Christine-cat.
8 ) Tonight, West Side Story
Every bit the classic, Tonight is as moving today as it was in 1957 when it was first performed on Broadway. The show is, of course, based on Romeo and Juliet and when you’ve got romantic source material of that quality to work from, I guess it’s hardly surprising that Tonight is such a special showtune.
7) Being Alive, Company
Company delivers a healthy dose of “upper-middle class problems” as Sondheim himself put it. Sometimes it’s nice to enjoy a showtune that’s not too sweet or overly gloomy but instead sounds like the sort of thing that you might actually sing if it was socially acceptable to break into song in the middle of the day. Sadly, it’s not. I tried.
6) For Now, Avenue Q
If something’s ever getting you down, this silly little showtune is pretty certain to perk you back up. There’s something about puppets assuring you that everything in life will work out in the end that appeals to your inner child. It’s sort of like getting a hug from Elmo on a really bad day.
5) I Could Have Danced All Night, My Fair Lady
I’m a sucker for My Fair Lady, I think it’s something to do with proper elocution and nice hats. I Could Have Danced All Night is the stand-out showtune from this corking musical AND it featured in an episode of Doctor Who (thanks @_ophelia) which, let’s be honest, is a good thing. No other showtune expresses that post-night out euphoria like this one – that’s a cast iron fact.
4) You Give A Little Love, Bugsy Malone
Ahhhh Bugsy Malone, it’s silly, strange, and far too messy but by golly, it’s a brilliant musical. All of Bugsy’s songs are good ‘uns but You Give A Little Love is so deeply ingrained in the minds of most musical fans that, after a few gins, all you need do is warble the first few bars to spark an impromptu sing-along. Lovely stuff.
3) Cabaret, Cabaret
Glamorous, cheeky and featuring the word “chum”, Cabaret is a bittersweet gem. Not many other showtunes give you the opportunity to enjoy girls in sequins, boo and hiss at Nazis (quietly) and, if you’re watching the movie version, see Liza Minelli at her finest all at the same time.
2) Defying Gravity – Wicked
Scandalous I know, not putting Defying Gravity at number one. Top spot or not, Defying Gravity has taken just seven years to go from a total unknown to one of the most iconic songs in musical theatre. Defying Gravity has been given the rock treatment by Brian May and Kerry Ellis, the Glee treatment by Chris Colfer (Kurt), and even the ukulele treatment by YouTube user FromKathrynsGarage.
1) Don’t Rain Upon My Parade, Funny Girl
I’ve never even seen Funny Girl but I can say with total confidence that Don’t Rain Upon My Parade is the single greatest showtune of all time (even when Streisand sings it). Uplifting, inspiring and completely without pretence, Don’t Rain On My Parade is a proper old-fashioned showtune that really needs to be performed on a West End stage some time soon.
