What Are Your Favorite Overtures?

Jesus Christ Superstar is my favorite, especially hearing it live!

Phantom, of course

I love the overture for Sweeney Todd. It’s a creepy pipe organ playing a frenetic melody but also sets you at ease.

And when it reaches its climax….SCREEEEEEEECH!

Does an entr'acte count? I love Cabaret (1998)!

Also, The Drowsy Chaperone!

phantom

Chicago

Without a doubt, Candide!! Enjoy! https://youtu.be/422-yb8TXj8?si=YuyxvYgA0zXQ9-Ci

Merrily, My Fair Lady, Hello Dolly, South Pacific, Fiddler, King & I

phantom of the opera of course haha

Les Mis' is iconic

Jesus Christ Superstar's is a banger

Great Comet's is fun :D

Phantom

A Little Night Music

Promises Promises

South Pacific

Guys and Dolls

Finian's Rainbow

Hello Dolly. 

Follies, and I truly mean the overture not the prologue (which is great too, but a whole other thing).

Mamma Mia! The way Knowing Me Knowing You and SOS blend together gives me chills every time

Gypsy is the gold standard. Another favorite, the mashup overture to Prince of Broadway.

Some more obscure but fun favorites...

Minnie's Boys - Larry Grossman

Say, Darling - Jule Styne

Prettybelle - Jule Styne

Subways Are For Sleeping - Jule Styne

Henry, Sweet, Henry - Bob Merill

New Girl In Town - Bob Merrill

On the 20th Century - Cy Coleman

Wildcat - Cy Coleman

Mack & Mabel - Jerry Herman

Walking Happy - Jimmy Van Heusen

Destry Rides Again - Harold Rome

Merrily, Legally Blonde

Funny girl!

Promises, Promises 🤌

Chicagos Overture for me!

Chicago, it does something for me I can't explain haha

Love Band’s Visit

I really like the Cats overture, and ofc Phantom too. Both ALW so maybe I just really like his overtures. The only other show of his I've seen is School of Rock though so I don't know that much

I love Jagged Little Pill’s Overture, 42nd Street’s Overture, and pretty much any Andrew Lloyd Webber Overture. It’s very hard to decide on just one when there are so many amazing overtures

I have the overture from Merrily set as my ringtone

Probably Chicago, the version of all that jazz that I listen to is connected to the overture on Spotify and I really enjoy the energy of it

Man of La Mancha

West side overture SLAPS

Jesus Christ Superstar with Phantom as a very close second.

the overture in Back To The Future The Musical made me cry when I heard it live! it was more out of connection to the music from the movie but still, it counts! also it stands on its own merits by having a good energy to prepare you for the rest of the show

Technically it's a prelude, but Next to Normal

The Marriage of Figaro, but this is r/musicals, so Merrily We Roll Along.

Gypsy, Mame, Merrily We Roll Along, Candide, Chicago

Carousel

I've only heard it in film, but I love the one used for Mary Poppins. I love how the overture begins with "Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag)". Not only because it's a beautiful song (and even one of Walt Disney's favorite songs), the song's meaning is the moral of the musical.

WE LOVE YOU CONRAD! OH YES WE DO! WE LOVE YOU CONRAD, AND WE'LL BE TRUE! IF YOU'RE NOT NEAR US..... WE'RE BLUUUUUE! OH CONRAD. WE. LOVE. YOU!

Phantom

Between the music and the set changing so much and the chandelier literally flying over the audiences head. Like cmon.

Plus I'm a huge fan of the pipe organ sound.

Just to be different and because all my other answers were taken, I feel like Shrek’s overture does the job in making you feel like you’re getting transported into the fairytale. Also don’t know if it counts because of the dialogue, but I mean Little Shop’s should’ve been already

Real talk? Annie.

Gypsy is the only correct answer.

Harmony’s always makes me so happy

William Tell lol

Funny Girl and The Music Man!!

Camelot.

Gypsy and jcs

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Curtains. I love Chitty because it was the first musical I was apart of and was in pit doing percussion which really sparked my love for musical theatre music. Curtains, is overall just a great show with a great overture!

Groundhogs day

The Light in the Piazza

i could listen to the piazza overture on loop for hours <3

Ain’t Misbehavin’

bye bye birdie

Funny Girl…Streisand

I love the mid-century over the top ones like Guys and Dolls, Hello Dolly, Mame, The Sound of Music etc.

But top prize absolutely must go to The Music Man with Rock Island.

The Bock and Harnick overtures get slept on because Fiddler doesn’t have one but She Loves Me & Tenderloin have banger overtures and well as The Rothschilds

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum

1776!

Prologue: Invisiblw

Lion King!

The best overture of all IMHO and the best part of the whole musical. There is something very primeval about these African chants (to me at least). Plus when you sit up in the balcony and watch the whole scene it's just ... magic.

Man of La Mancha!

Gilbert Becaud’s Roza

Annie!

Absolutely The Producers!!

Guys and Dolls with the gradual segue into Runyonland and then Fugue for Tin Horns… be still my heart!

It wasn’t used in the Broadway production, just added for the recording, but I adore the Rags overture.

The Overture and Underture from Tommy have always been favourites of mine

Les miserables

Phantom, chills literal chills

Candide, Carousel.

Carousel.. I'm old fashioned

funny girl!!!

Phantom of the Opera is one of mine, I saw it live a few days ago and got literal goosebumps

Chicago, Funny Girl, and She Loves Me

I really like the theme from Tristan and Isolde.

Leonard Bernstein's Candide

Carousel

Oh that's easy. Phantom of the Opera. Sweeney Todd has a good Overture, too.

Curtains!!!

The Fantasticks is a favorite

Tommy-- Funny Girl have great overtures - Porgy and Bess

Phantom. 100%.

Though I'll always have a soft spot for the overture in Anything Goes. It's fun, and I got to play it in the pit orchestra in high school.

Obviously Phantom, there is no doubt about that

Urinetown. Underrated musical in general. The overture itself transitions nicely into the first song, Too Much Exposition.

Mamma Mia and Jagged Little Pill

Funny Girl & Gypsy (Jule Styne + his horns!!!!) and Merrily We Roll Along

Some of my favorites are “Tanz der Vampire,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Chicago,” “West Side Story,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Gypsy,” “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” “The Music Man,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Candide,” “The King and I,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Carousel,” “My Fair Lady,” “Camelot,” and “South Pacific.”

Phantom obviously (chills every time I've seen it live) but I also want to add as honorable mention the prologue from Little Shop of Horrors! The first notes feel so ominous and melancholy and then the greek chorus part is so bouncy and cute lol

Merrily and She Loves Me bring me the most joy.

Gypsy (obvi)
Tommy
Blood Brothers

Does the original film of West Side Story count?

Phantom of the opera and legally blonde. Both very different answers lmao.

LES MISERABLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Matilda

It has to be the overture for "Oliver." It is so nice when it goes into "I'd do Anything."

Lil Abner is a favorite

Can we just say this now. The top 2 comments are both ALW musicals. Does this mean ALW makes the best overtures?

The small fiddler portion before Tevye comes in is ICONIC

i can’t believe no one’s mentioned The Addams Family! the quotation of the tv show theme jumping straight into some awesome flute/clarinet arpeggios is one of my favorite intros of all time

The Little Mermaid

Does a prelude count? I love Next to Normal’s, simple and short but effective!

Chicago and Carousel.

The overture of Black Friday! The sound of the clock ticking down and that beat coming back in the finale makes it some sort of a loop circle, like hatchetfield is sometimes stuck in a loop with some events like the world ending. It’s so chilling.

phantom and addams family! sweeney is also an absolute masterpiece

"Tradition," Fiddler.

Phantom of the Opera. Nothing can beat the chandelier coming to life.

Ooh there are so many lmao.  I love the Phantom of the Opera overture (obviously), but I also think West Side Story is a good one.  Also I haven’t seen anyone saying these but I love the overtures from Wicked, Newsies, and The Little Mermaid as well :)

Gypsy, Cats, Promises Promises

Favorite of all time has to be merrily we roll along

Follies.

Candide. No contest.

Pacific

Alexander Hamilton…