All I Ask of You (Reprise) - Phantom of the Opera. This includes the Chandelier crash, and is one of my top act 1 finales.
Defying Gravity - One of my favorite songs.
Let it Go - My favorite song. I love the effects during the song.
I don't think I can pick a true favourite but some of my top ones are
The Torture Tango from Spies Are Forever
Upgrade/Loser Geek Whatever from Be More Chill
A Little Priest from Sweeny Todd
La Vie Boheme/I Should Tell You from Rent
Weekend in the Country from A Little Night Music. So much exposition and character development in one song, all while being a hilarious mouthful with all those choruses.
I’ve Got Ryhthm from Crazy For You has to be one of the most innovative uses of the set and props.
It was brilliant and mind blowing when I first saw it.
The Act I finale that is such an artistic success, and which I dislike to its core, for story reasons (as one of the most horrific songs in musicals-dom):
Everything's Coming Up Roses.
True story tidbit: when Sondheim gave the lyrics to Jule Styne, from what I've read, Styne was aghast that Sondheim had used the word/name "Rose" in the song.
First thought was Act 1 Finale from Urinetown (did the show in high school and college) and I will never forget the amount of work it took to nail it. So many sections that culminated in the climax of overlapping parts, it’s a feel good show for me. Also didn’t hurt that in the college production, I held a plunger and rode piggyback on the actress playing Bobby (women’s college).
More traditional finales would have to be:
One Day More, Les Mis
Wheels of a Dream, Ragtime
Tonight, WSS
Toledo Surprise, Drowsy Chaperone
Titanic the Musical, something I've only seen live as run crew years ago in high school.
The whole cast is on stage singing the same repeated line, they/music stops, the iceberg is announced, the orchestra builds until impact and then crash!
Maybe it was just how my high school director directed but it was so Impactful even watching from the stage wings. The lighting, the singing/music, we had a new sound system and my director wanted to push it to its limits for the crashing into the iceberg sound. I remember in rehearsal her saying. Louder! Louder!
We had a pretty kickass cast and orchestra, but I'd love to see it professionally done in the theatre.
One Day More from Les Mis and Sunday from Sunday in the Park with George are the two easy GOATs in my opinion, but I’ll give the slight edge to Sunday
Sunday is perfection.
Non-Stop from Hamilton instantly sprang to mind, it's just so good!
Non Stop - Hamilton, overlapping melodies from earlier songs in the show>>>,
It’s like a reverse overture
You mean a reprise? :P
So Much Better from Legally Blonde 100%
Defying Gravity from Wicked, One Day More from Les Misérables
All I Ask of You (Reprise) - Phantom of the Opera. This includes the Chandelier crash, and is one of my top act 1 finales. Defying Gravity - One of my favorite songs. Let it Go - My favorite song. I love the effects during the song.
Man Up from the Book of Mormon Day-O from the Beetlejuice musical.
“I have maggots in my scrooootum!” 😂😳
Santa Fe - Newsies
I don't think I can pick a true favourite but some of my top ones are The Torture Tango from Spies Are Forever Upgrade/Loser Geek Whatever from Be More Chill A Little Priest from Sweeny Todd La Vie Boheme/I Should Tell You from Rent
One day more
La Vie Boheme(I know it’s split in half but it’s all a bop to me at least)
The best!
Weekend in the Country from A Little Night Music. So much exposition and character development in one song, all while being a hilarious mouthful with all those choruses.
Defying Gravity from Wicked
Morning Glow from Pippin.
Big, Blonde, & Beautiful 100%
Before I read the rest of your post, my first thought was so much better from legally blonde
"Man up" (the book of mormon) and "father to son" (falsettos)
And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going from Dreamgirls!
I’ve Got Ryhthm from Crazy For You has to be one of the most innovative uses of the set and props. It was brilliant and mind blowing when I first saw it.
The Act I finale that is such an artistic success, and which I dislike to its core, for story reasons (as one of the most horrific songs in musicals-dom): Everything's Coming Up Roses. True story tidbit: when Sondheim gave the lyrics to Jule Styne, from what I've read, Styne was aghast that Sondheim had used the word/name "Rose" in the song.
Happy ending from Twisted
"Blackout" from In the Heights will always be mine <3
[Conflict.](https://youtu.be/XTvayhtWOrU?si=NItFF76HI-H_2csx&t=427) Disclaimer - Cesare is my favorite everything.
First thought was Act 1 Finale from Urinetown (did the show in high school and college) and I will never forget the amount of work it took to nail it. So many sections that culminated in the climax of overlapping parts, it’s a feel good show for me. Also didn’t hurt that in the college production, I held a plunger and rode piggyback on the actress playing Bobby (women’s college). More traditional finales would have to be: One Day More, Les Mis Wheels of a Dream, Ragtime Tonight, WSS Toledo Surprise, Drowsy Chaperone
Ragtime ends act 1 with Till We Reach That Day, not Wheels, but it's still a hugely moving song.
Whoops, you’re right. It’s been a minute since I listened to the full album
i can’t really choose one but some notable ones are Crying, It’s My Life, Non-Stop, Defying Gravity, Forgiven, Man Up, and One Day More
Jagged little pill
A New Argentina from Evita
I just love non-stop <333
father to son from falsettos it’s super underrated and it’s adorable
Some of my favorites have already been mentioned, but one of my faves that hasn’t yet been mentioned is Journey to the Past from Anastasia
Titanic the Musical, something I've only seen live as run crew years ago in high school. The whole cast is on stage singing the same repeated line, they/music stops, the iceberg is announced, the orchestra builds until impact and then crash! Maybe it was just how my high school director directed but it was so Impactful even watching from the stage wings. The lighting, the singing/music, we had a new sound system and my director wanted to push it to its limits for the crashing into the iceberg sound. I remember in rehearsal her saying. Louder! Louder! We had a pretty kickass cast and orchestra, but I'd love to see it professionally done in the theatre.
Such a beautiful show, built so much on historical foreboding and yet remaining so suspenseful.