Today, rather than writing about a recent theatre trip, it’s all about a heap of my favourite Truffles from the past.
At the invitation of the delightful @ThriftyTheatre I give you my Act I vs Act II list, a challenge for theatre lovers created by @ChowKimWan. The task is simple enough, choose 8 of your favourite musicals of all time and ask yourself which half you prefer and why. Not as easy as it looks to pick favourites..
West Side Story, 1957 (Music: Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim)
It has to be Act I because ‘Something’s Coming’, ‘America’, ‘Maria’, ‘Tonight’ and even the gorgeous instrumental that is ‘The Dance at the Gym’ are all in the first act so how could it be otherwise?! Hard to let go of the second act opening number though, but I’ll have to sacrifice ‘I Feel Pretty’ for the others…
Verdict: ACT I
Cabaret, 1966 (M: John Kander, L: Fred Ebb)
This one was tough because some of my favourite songs are in the first half (‘Mein Herr’, ‘Money’), however, the story develops in such a chilling way in the second half that I have to pick that over the show tunes. Plus, watching ‘Cabaret’ and the ‘Wilkommen’ reprise knowing everything that’s happened previously on stage makes these brilliant songs even better.
Verdict: ACT II
Evita, 1978 (M: Andrew Lloyd Webber, L: Tim Rice)
I love a sung-through musical and the Lord (Webber, that is) sure knew how to write a good one in the 60s and 70s. Evita has a fantastic heroine at its centre and although I love many of the musical numbers in the first half, I always look forward to seeing Evita once she’s installed in the Casa Rosada and the character arch that takes her from the majestic ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’, through ‘Rainbow High’ and eventually to the heartbreaking ‘You Must Love Me’ (I know that one was added later but it’s so good). I last saw Madalena Alberto in the role in the West End and her performance of these three numbers was all I wanted and more (saving a production that I otherwise thought was really quite bad!).
Verdict: ACT II
A Little Night Music, 1973 (M&L: Stephen Sondheim)
This show is all great but I’m going to choose Act II without a shadow of a doubt simply because of one song: ‘The Miller’s Son’. Petra, the maid, whom you barely notice in the first half, is given this fantastic showstopper which I think is one of THE best songs ever written.
Verdict: ACT II
Merrily We Roll Along, 1981 (M&L: Stephen Sondheim)
The clever thing about this musical is that we see all the events developing backwards, so we start at the end of the friendship between Frank, Charley and Mary and we work back to the day they met. Similarly to Cabaret, I’ll have to choose the second act of this one because when you see the beginning of their friendship at the end of the show, knowing what it’s going to turn into, it really breaks your heart. Plus ‘Opening Doors’ is such fun!
I saw the last London revival in the West End in 2013 three times and I ended up in a mess of tears each time, and that has a lot to do with the early moments of the story being placed at the very end of the show. Genius.
Verdict: ACT II
Into The Woods, 1986 (M&L: Stephen Sondheim)
Yup, more Sondheim, the man just knows how to write the best stuff, what can I say?!
Once again, this musical is very clever with its second half where all the fairy tales that ended up happily in the first half are turned on their head. The two Princes’ reprise of ‘Agony’ is in this half which always makes me giggle, the Baker’s Wife sings ‘Moments in the Woods’ (listen from 2:10) which is one of the most interesting songs for a female character in any musical. The show concludes with a series of great songs, including ‘Last Midnight’ and ‘No one Is Alone’, so there’s no doubt it’s Act II for this fairy tale reality check.
Verdict: ACT II
Rent, 1996 (M&L: Jonathan Larson)
This show is far from perfect but I will forever love it because when I first listened to the album it was like no other show I’d ever heard before. Plus it’s inspired by the opera La Bohème, which I’ve known and loved since I was 6 believe it or not!
I’ll go with the first act because of ‘Light My Candle’, ‘Tango Maureen’, ‘Out Tonight’, ‘Over the Moon’ & the brilliant ‘La Vie Bohème’ which still encapsulates the spirit of the opera if not the music!
Verdict: ACT I
Wicked, 2003 (M&L: Stephen Schwartz)
I recently wrote a post on this show so I won’t bore you again with why I think it’s great. I have to choose the second half because the story gets really, really good and because the my favourite ‘No Good Deed’ and the moving ‘For Good’ are both in this half and I think they’re both stunning songs.
Verdict: ACT II
Theatre Truffles 
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