11 o'clock number

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11 o'clock number is a theatre term for a big, show-stopping song that occurs late in the second act of a two-act musical, in which a major character, often the protagonist, comes to an important realization. Examples include "So Long Dearie" from Hello, Dolly! , "If He Walked Into My Life" from Mame , "Rose's Turn" from Gypsy , "Work the Wound" from Passing Strange , and "Cabaret" from Cabaret . [1] It was so named because in the days when musical performances would start at 8:30 p.m., this song would occur around 11:00 p.m. [2]

Among the theatre community, there is some debate as to the characteristics of an 11 o'clock number. It often signifies a moment of revelation or change of heart of a lead character, although there are exceptions to this. [3] The 11 o'clock number is also differentiated from the finale in that it is not the final number in the show, but even this is not considered a requirement by some commenters. [4] Broadway producer Jack Viertel defines an 11 o'clock number as "a final star turn". [5]

Other notable 11 o'clock numbers include "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" from Guys and Dolls , [3] "Memory" from Cats , [6] "Brotherhood of Man" from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying , [7] “No Good Deed” from Wicked , "Gimme Gimme" from Thoroughly Modern Millie , [4] "Another National Anthem" from Assassins , [8] "The American Dream" from Miss Saigon , "Goodbye" from Catch Me If You Can , "Revolting Children" from Matilda The Musical , "I'm Here" from The Color Purple , [9] “The Boy Falls from the Sky” from Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, “42nd Street” from 42nd Street, “The Power of Love” from Back to the Future: The Musical, and "Always Starting Over" from If/Then . [10]

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References

  1. ↑ Scott Miller, "May I Have a Definition?", The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre blog, 2014
  2. ↑ Ben Rimalower (19 July 2014). "'This Time For Me': The Essential 11 O'Clock Numbers". Playbill.com. Accessed 2015-02-02. Archived 2015-03-28.
  3. 1 2 "'Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ The Boat:' An Unusual 11 o’clock Number". The Marquee, News and Views from MTI. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  4. 1 2 Michael Musto (29 April 2011). "The Five Best 11 O'Clock Numbers in Broadway History" Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine . The Village Voice theater blog.
  5. ↑ Viertel, Jack (2016). The Secret Life of the American Musical. Sarah Crichton Books. p. 206.
  6. ↑ Peter Marks (27 August 1999). "CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; Theater's Thrill Rides". The New York Times.
  7. ↑ Brendan Lemon (28 March 2011). "How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Al Hirschfeld Theatre, New York". The Financial Times.
  8. ↑ Gordon, Robert (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Sondheim Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 91. ISBN   9780199909278 . Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  9. ↑ Schulman, Michael (17 December 2015). "The Top Ten Showstoppers of 2015". The New Yorker. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  10. ↑ Peter Marks (25 November 2013), "I Believe" from The Book of Mormon. "Eagerly awaited musical ‘If/Then’ is a winning blob, with many kinks to be worked out". The Washington Post.
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