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. “Putting It Together” from Sunday in the Park with George

“It has to come to life!
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!”

2. “Why” from Tick, Tick…Boom!

“I think,
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 way…”

3. “Climbing Uphill” from The Last Five Years

“They’re gonna think this is the way I sing
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 over…”

4. “I Love Play Rehearsal” from Be More Chill

“I love play rehearsal
‘Cause you are equipped with directions and text
Life is easy in rehearsal
You follow a script so you know what comes next..:”

5. “Let Me Entertain You” from Gypsy

“Let me entertain you
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 time…”

6. “Gus: the Theatre Cat” from Cats

“For I once was a star of the highest degree
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 Fell…”

7. “Quiet Please, There’s a Lady on Stage” from The Boy from Oz

 “Stand for the ovation
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 song…”

8. “Broadway Baby” from Follies

“Broadway Baby,
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 Heights…”

9. “Show People” from Curtains

“We’re a special kind of people known as show people!
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!”

10. “We Look to You” from The Prom

 “We look to you
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..”

11. “Opening Night” from The Producers

 “Opening night…
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!”

12. “Another Op’nin’, Another Show” from Kiss Me, Kate

 “For weeks, you rehearse and rehearse,
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!”

13. “Welcome to the Theatre” from Applause

“Welcome to the theatre
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-seek…”

14. “Willkommen” from Cabaret

“Willkommen! And bienvenue! Welcome!
Fremder, étranger, stranger
Glücklich zu sehen
Je suis enchanté
Happy to see you
Bleibe, reste, stay
Willkommen! And bienvenue! Welcome!
I’m cabaret, au cabaret, to cabaret!”

15. “The Most Important Night” from Tootsie the Musical

“Can’t breathe, I can’t remember what my lungs should do
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!”

16. “As If We Never Said Goodbye” from Sunset Boulevard

“The whispered conversations in overcrowded hallways
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!”

17. “It’s a Hit” from Merrily We Roll Along

“We’ve got a
Surefire
Genuine
Walkaway
Blockbuster
Lines down to Broadway
Boffola
Sensational
Box office
Lallapalooza
Gargantuan hit!
It’s a hit!”

18. “A Musical” from Something Rotten

“A musical
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

…

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 all…”

19. “Forty-Second Street” from 42nd Street

“Hear the beat of dancing feet
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 Street…”

20. “There’s No Business Like Show Business” from Annie Get Your Gun

“There’s no business like show business like no business I know
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 show…” 

21. “That’s Entertainment” from The Band Wagon

“Everything that happens in life
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!”

22. “Thank You for the Music” from Mamma Mia!

“So I say
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 me…”

23. “Give My Regards to Broadway” from Yankee Doodle Dandee

“Give my regards to Broadway!
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!”

You can listen to the full playlist below.