2013 Shows: (New York: Glengarry Glen Ross*** Picnic**** The Lion King**** Mamma Mia**** Who's Afraid of Virginia Woofe**** The Other Place*** Nice Work, If You Can Get It** Annie**** The Phantom of the Opera**** Cat On A Hot Tin Roof*** Cinderella**** Evita**** (Final Performance) The Mystery of Edwin Drood*** Mary Poppins*****) London: Salad Days** Great Expectations*** This House** Chess**** A Chorus Line**** Quartermine's Terms**** Old Times*** The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time***** Dear World*** People**** Viva Forever** Peter and Alice** The Wimslow Boy***** Proof**** Our Country's Good* The Tailor Made Man**** Darling of the Day*** Top Hat*** A Judas Kiss*** Spamalot*** Once**** Wicked** A Chorus Line**** Book of Mormon***** Hairspray**** (Tour: Southampton) Sleeping Arrangements***** The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes*** The Pajama Game***(Chichester)The Thrill of Love*** Hymn**/Cocktail Sticks**** Merrily We Roll Along***** The Weir**** The Hot House**** The Rise and the Fall of the Little Voice***** (Churchill, Bromley) Ghost*** (Wimbledon) To Kill A Mockingbird*** (Open Air) Beautiful Thing*** The Phantom*** Charlie and the Chocolate Factory*** Relative Speaking**** Strange Interlude*** Passion Play*** The Rocky Horror Show***(Tour: Bromley) merrily Web Roll Along**** The Audience**** Travels With My Aunt**
"I think Glee is way too sharp, smart, witty, clever and emotionally confronting for the masses." - Dave19 -
"What's next? Snow Black and the 7 Swaggers? Shasquirta and the Beast? 101 Weavematians?
Willis in Ghettoland?" - Dave19, in reference to the new ANNIE remake.
Even those mentioned above have one or two mediocre, if not klunker, songs in them.
I'd say, maybe, "Guys and Dolls", though I can't even say I love "Marry the Man Today" or "Sue Me"... but that's the closest I can think of off the top of my head..
Plenty. These are shows that I think don't have a bad song in the sense that they are well crafted and fit perfectly into the show (in addition to the fact that I enjoy the hell out of them): Show Boat, No No Nanette (these don't so much fit into the show, but it's one of the most enjoyable scores ever), South Pacific, Finian's Rainbow, Kiss Me Kate, My Fair Lady, She Loves Me, Gypsy (I love "Little Lamb," shoot me), Little Me, A Little Night Music ("Liaisons" is a fantastic song, some actresses just don't do it justice), Sweeney Todd, A Chorus Line, Nine, City of Angels, Crazy For You (yes it counts), Ragtime, The Full Monty, Caroline or Change, and Next to Normal.
Some honorable mentions: Great scores that have a song in them I don't like, but many seem to enjoy: Carousel ("Highest Judge of All"), On the 20th Century ("I Rise Again"), Follies ("One More Kiss"), Evita ("Art of the Possible"), Les Miserables ("Little People"), Light in the Piazza ("The Joy You Feel"), The Book of Mormon ("I Am Here For You"), and Grey Gardens ("Marry Well")
"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.
The first two that immediately came to mind were Gypsy and Sweeney Todd. West Side Story is pretty solid too, if you look at Krupke as a song and ignore its placement.
Nine Gypsy Parade Evita Les Miz Into the Woods Merrily We Roll Along Sunset Blvd. Pal Joey The King and I City of Angels On the Twentieth Century Sweet Charity Cabaret (the original, but even more so the 54 revival) Fiddler on the Roof Hallelujah Baby Shenandoah Little Shop of Horrors The Rocky Horror Show The Sound of Music Flower Drum Song Guys and Dolls West Side Story A Chorus Line Annie Rags The Apple Tree (Even the cut song "I'm Lost" is a keeper) Hair The Last 5 Years Grey Gardens
And if revues count:
Closer Than Ever Ain't Misbehavin Sophisticated Ladies
Special mention:
Hot Mikado
And finally a brilliant score with one song that I don't care for:
The Light in the Piazza (Aiutami being the one song I dislike)
I'm confused by your question. There are countless scores which have absolutely no "bad" songs in them. Are you asking about scores in which songs are without exception great?
joined:3/26/08
Posted: 7/23/12 at 09:39pm