23 Songs About Theater
Musicals have songs about almost every conceivable topic, so obviously there would be a whole repertoire of songs about the theater itself, the people who work in it, and the different stages of the stage. There are even entire shows revolving around the production of a show and they are never in want of an eager audience.
We put together some songs that give a glimpse of the different aspects of the theater: the process of workshops, auditions, and rehearsals; the performers and their struggles in the quest for stardom; the exhilaration of opening night and the long-awaited premiere; and the immortal legacy of the stage show.
1. âPutting It Togetherâ from Sunday in the Park with George
Bit by bit, putting it together
Piece by piece, only way to make a work of art
Every moment makes a contribution
Every little detail plays a part
Having just a vision’s no solution
Everything depends on execution
Putting it together, that’s what counts!â
2. âWhyâ from Tick, TickâŠBoom!
Hey, what a way to spend a day
Hey, what a way to spend a day
I make a vow – right here and now
I’m gonna spend my time this wayâŠâ
3. âClimbing Uphillâ from The Last Five Years
Why is the pianist playing so loud?
Should I sing louder?
I’ll sing louder
Maybe I should stop and start over
I’m gonna stop and start overâŠâ
4. âI Love Play Rehearsalâ from Be More Chill
‘Cause you are equipped with directions and text
Life is easy in rehearsal
You follow a script so you know what comes next..:â
5. âLet Me Entertain Youâ from Gypsy
Let me make you smile
Let me do a few tricks
Some old and then some new tricks
I’m very versatile
And if you’re real good
I’ll make you feel good
I’d want your spirit to climb
So let me entertain you
We’ll have a real good time
Yes sir
We’ll have
A real good timeâŠâ
6. âGus: the Theatre Catâ from Cats
I have acted with Irving
I’ve acted with Tree
And I like to relate my success on the halls
When the gallery once gave me seven cat calls
But my grandest creation, as I love to tell
Was Firefrorefiddle, the Fiend of the FellâŠâ
7. âQuiet Please, Thereâs a Lady on Stageâ from The Boy from Oz
And give her one last celebration
Put your hands together and help her along
All that’s left of the singer’s all that’s left of the song
Put your hands together and help her along
All that’s left of the singer’s all that’s left of the songâŠâ
8. âBroadway Babyâ from Follies
Learning how to sing and dance,
Waiting for that one big chance
To be in a show.Oh…Gee.’
I’d like to be
On some marquee,
All twinkling lights,
A spark
To pierce the dark
From Battery Park
To Washington HeightsâŠâ
9. âShow Peopleâ from Curtains
We live in a world of our own
Our days are tied to curtains
They rise and they fall
We’re born every night
At half-hour call!â
10. âWe Look to Youâ from The Prom
In good times and bad
The worlds you create
Make the real ones seem less sad
The curtain goes up
And every now and then it feels as if we’re coming home again
Yes, coming home again..â
11. âOpening Nightâ from The Producers
It’s opening night!
It’s Max Bialystock’s latest show
Will it flop or will it go?
The cast is taking its final bow
Here comes the audience now
The doors are open: they’re on their way…
Let’s hear what they have to say!â
12. âAnother Op’nin’, Another Showâ from Kiss Me, Kate
Three weeks and it couldn’t be worse.
One week, will it ever be right?
Then out o’ the hat, it’s that big first night!
The overture is about to start,
You cross your fingers and hold your heart,
It’s curtain time and away we go,
Another op’nin’, just another op’nin’, of another show!â
13. âWelcome to the Theatreâ from Applause
To the magic, to the fun
Where painted trees and flowers grow
And laughter rings fortissimo
And treachery’s neatly done
Now you’ve entered the asylum
This profession unique
Actors are children playing hide-and-ego-seekâŠâ
14. âWillkommenâ from Cabaret
Fremder, étranger, stranger
GlĂŒcklich zu sehen
Je suis enchanté
Happy to see you
Bleibe, reste, stay
Willkommen! And bienvenue! Welcome!
I’m cabaret, au cabaret, to cabaret!â
15. âThe Most Important Nightâ from Tootsie the Musical
Been dreaming this all of my life and tonight it all comes true
Red carpet crowd will greet us
Big party with Margaritas
My dreams since I was a fetus, long overdue
Every single living human being’s got to agree
This is the
The most important night
The most important night
The most important night of my life!â
16. âAs If We Never Said Goodbyeâ from Sunset Boulevard
So much to say not just today but always…
We’ll have early morning madness
We’ll have magic in the making
Yes, everything’s as if we never said goodbye
Yes, everything’s as if we never said goodbye…
We taught the world new ways to dream!â
17. âItâs a Hitâ from Merrily We Roll Along
Surefire
Genuine
Walkaway
Blockbuster
Lines down to Broadway
Boffola
Sensational
Box office
Lallapalooza
Gargantuan hit!
It’s a hit!â
18. âA Musicalâ from Something Rotten
And nothing’s as amazing as a musical
With song and dance
And sweet romance
And happy endings happening by happenstance
Bright lights, stage fights, and a dazzling chorus
You wanna be great?
Then you gotta create a musical
âŠ
Some make you happy
Some make you sad
Some are quite big
Some quite small
Some are too long
Some are just plays with song
Some musicals have no talking at allâŠâ
19. âForty-Second Streetâ from 42nd Street
It’s the song I love the melody of
The Forty-Second Street
Little nifties from the Fifties, innocent and sweet
Sexy ladies from the Eighties, who are indiscreet
Side by side, they’re glorified
Where the underworld can meet the elite
On Forty-Second StreetâŠâ
20. âThereâs No Business Like Show Businessâ from Annie Get Your Gun
Everything about it is appealing, everything that traffic will allow
Nowhere could you get that happy feeling when you are stealing that extra bow
There’s no people like show people, they smile when they are low
Even with a turkey that you know will fold, you may be stranded out in the cold
Still you wouldn’t change it for a sack of gold, let’s go on with the showâŠâÂ
21. âThatâs Entertainmentâ from The Band Wagon
Can happen in a show
You can make ’em laugh
You can make ’em cry
Anything
Anything can go…
The gag may be waving the flag
That began with a mystical hand
Hip hooray!
The American way
The world is a stage,
The stage is a world of entertainment!â
22. âThank You for the Musicâ from Mamma Mia!
Thank you for the music, the songs I’m singing
Thanks for all the joy they’re bringing
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to meâŠâ
23. âGive My Regards to Broadwayâ from Yankee Doodle Dandee
Remember me to Herald Square!
Tell all the gang at Forty Second Street
That I will soon be there!
Whisper of how I’m yearning
To mingle with the old time throng!
Give my regards to Old Broadway
And say that I’ll be there, ‘ere long!â
You can listen to the full playlist below.
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