Broadway on Friday

The gospel of Jack Viertel says that an opening number should set a tone; you should "acquire the vocabulary" that will help you through the evening. So, for example, "Dear Evan Hansen" opens with "Does Anybody Have a Map?" This doesn't tell us much about the characters, but it establishes a kind of frantic energy that works well for the show.

Another strong example is from "A Chorus Line," a musical that is about to have its fiftieth birthday. In the canonical opening number, members of the chorus state and repeat various lines that you might expect to hear at a job interview. Because the lines are "scored," they have an unusual weight, a sense of urgency:

God, I hope I get it.

God, I really blew it.

It could be yes, it could be no.

I really need this job.

Look at all the people! At all the people!

The witty interlude makes a point about neurosis: The moment certain singers "make the cut," their inner monologue swings from doubt to grandiosity. "God, I think I've got it. I knew he liked me all along...."

The actual content of any singer's thoughts is not terribly important; what is important is just the sense of chattering. Terror. The words grab you within ten or twenty seconds. A hall-of-fame opening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zQIZjCaOB8

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