TOP 10 TUESDAY: Eleven O'Clock Numbers
- James Tradgett
- Sep 30
- 10 min read
Every great show needs a great eleven o'clock number right? For this month's top 10, I'll be looking at those climatic moments in musicals during which our protagonist has a moment of self discovery, personal epiphany, or simply a dramatic turning point, so here are my picks for the top eleven o'clock numbers in musical theatre. Oh, and for those of you unfamiliar with the shows ahead, there will be spoilers aplenty, so this is your preemptive SPOILER ALERT in place...
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10. "CONFRONTATION" - Jekyll & Hyde
Our first song is both a solo and a duet, from Frank Wildhorn's cult classic musical based on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde". Though the book itself is written largely from the perspective of lawyer Mr Utterson, with only the final confession coming from the titular enigma himself, many subsequent adaptations have kept the focus on Dr Jekyll, and his own trials and tribulations as he experiments and unwittingly unlocks his alter ego Mr Hyde, with whom he is in constant internal conflict. The climax of this horror musical features our split personality protagonist-come-antagonist in a psychological tussle with his inner alter ego, and both halves of his whole being battling to rein control of his physical form from the other.
The song displays some of Wildhorn's finest composition, and requires supreme acting and vocal skill, so as to be able to convincingly portray both sides of our titular antihero's persona. Initially portrayed by Colm Wilkinson on the original concept album, and then by Chuck Wagner in its world premiere, it is Robert Cuccioli's portrayal in the original broadway cast that many of us consider most synonymous with this mammoth musical theatre role, as he successfully, through both acting and the versatility of his vocals, depicts the character's duality (David Hasselhoff may also hold this distinction for the most iconic titular role portrayal, though not necessarily for the right reasons...)
9. "YOU GOTTA DIE SOMETIME" - Falsettos
Though not every song on this list is steeped in tragedy and drama, you can certainly bet that it will feature fairly heavily, and the final moments of William Finn and James Lapine's musical "Falsettos" is no exception. Much of the story focusses around Marvin, a Jewish man who has recently left his wife 'Trina and son Jason after realising that he's gay, to start a relationship with his male lover Whizzer, and has to contend with therapy sessions with his psychiatrist Mendel, as he realises that in spite of the pair being immensely attracted to one another, Marvin and Whizzer actually don't have all that much in common. Much of the musical focusses around Whizzer's attempts to integrate himself with the rest of the family. however it is during the second act, when a mystery illness befalls Whizzer, and he ends up being hospitalised after collapsing during a game of racquetball, that we learn the true implications of our story.
"You gotta die sometime" is sung by Whizzer, alone in his hospital bed, as he attempts to accept his fate at the hands of his terminal diagnosis (never identified but widely accepted as being HIV/AIDS related), trying remain positive, yet lamenting how little time he has remaining to spend with loved ones, and his great internal conflict balancing the two. It is a song that not only deals with acceptance of one's own impending demise, which is easier said than done at the best of times, but one that also lays out for Whizzer what is really important in life, and this makes the challenge of coming to terms with his limited time left on this earth even greater.
8. "SHE USED TO BE MINE" - Waitress
The most recent entry on this list, but by far one of the biggest tearjerkers, "She Used To Be Mine" is the work of Sara Bareilles from her 2016 Tony nominated musical "Waitress". The song comes at a terrible moment of despondence, as primary protagonist Jenna Hunterson, upon having been discovered hoarding her money by abusive husband Earl, in an attempt to escape his clutches and make a better life for herself and her unborn baby, reaches arguably her lowest point in the show, losing all hope that she will ever be able to escape her awful situation, in which she feels hopelessly trapped. It is a powerhouse ballad that carries a great deal of emotional weight behind it, as Jenna ponders the life she has lived up until this point.
The song has since become a modern musical theatre classic, making regular appearances in auditions, cabaret performances and musical playlists alike, due to both the quality of its composition, and the way it resonates with audiences so profoundly; more importantly though, the song and the musical in which it resides have helped open up conversations regarding domestic abuse and toxic relationships, giving more women around the world the confidence to leave controlling partners.
7. "SO ANYWAY" - Next To Normal
It takes a great deal of strength to fully deal with your mental health struggles, and the decisions that are best for you are often the hardest ones to make; enter Diana Goodman, a wife and mother still grieving the loss of her infant son almost 18 years on, a period which has seen her develop a long history of chronic depression and prescription drug abuse, as well as fractured relationships with both her daughter Natalie and long-suffering husband Dan. Though she does receive temporary relief through ECT (electro-convulsive therapy), this also adversely affects her memory, and after a period of regaining this lost time in her brain, she makes the difficult decision to leave, deciding that both she and husband Dan need time apart to process their grief independently.
This moment in Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's musical "Next To Normal" is surprisingly poignant, as rather than feeling like Diana is giving up, it feels she is embracing and accepting that she does have a chronic mental illness, and that there is no quick fix when it comes to depression or grief of any kind. And the simplicity of its solo piano accompaniment with occasional violin and cello embellishment gives it that extra degree of emotional weight, as it removes the often chaotic nature of the largely rock score, and keeps the intense pathos of the song at its very core, making us feel immensely for both Diana and Dan, as they process years of animosity and suppressed emotion.
6. "JAVERT'S SUICIDE" - Les Miserables
When you dedicate your entire life to upholding the immutable word of the law, only for this to be so profoundly challenged by the idea of morality over legality, you are going to naturally go through a great deal of internal conflict. This is very much the crux of Javert's final scene in Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil's musical theatre behemoth "Les Miserables", as he spends the vast majority of the show hunting down escaped bread thief Jean Valjean, a good hearted and morally upright, yet unfortunately misguided man, who's fallen on hard times. Upon realising that Valjean is not the hardened criminal he sees him as, Javert proceeds to question his entire life until this point: has he been wasting his time? Can a criminal, by law, also be a good man? Can a man of the law also be considered the bad guy?
Whilst the musical isn't necessarily considered to have a bona fide eleven o'clock number per se, "Javert's suicide" is probably considered one of the most pivotal character moments in the show, as it truly is a major epiphany for, arguably, our main antagonist. We see a vulnerability and doubt in Javert that, up until this point, had been absent from his persona and presentation due to his overwhelming sense of hubris and pomposity, and I truly believe that one would not be remiss in stating that it is one of the biggest personal epiphanies in all of musical theatre.
5. "FUNNY GIRL" - Funny Girl
Fanny Brice was certainly no stranger to the spotlight, and never made a secret of, or shied away from, the fact that she was far from what one would consider a typical member of the Ziegfeld Follies. Throughout the course of Isobel Lennart, Bob Merrill and Jule Styne's musical "Funny Girl", though not necessarily historically accurate, we follow the story of Brice's quest for stardom, and the toll her various personal hardships take on her; the title song, coupled up with a reprise of "Don't rain on my parade", displays the contrast between the fun loving, joke filled public persona, and her internal pain that stemmed from her failed marriage, as it becomes clear that her pursuit of love has largely been at the expense of her own sense of self worth.
In spite of her personal heartbreak from husband Nicky Arnstein leaving her, she endeavours to pick herself up and carry on with her life, and it's in this moment of triumph that we really see what Fanny is all about. She may play the fool to her adoring public, but she's a gutsy lady with real emotions and desires, and this final number, in many ways, sums up exactly what she's all about.
4. "ELECTRICITY" - Billy Elliot
Boys don't do ballet right? At least that was the rhetoric being pushed in 1980s county Durham, as tens of thousands of mine workers go on strike to protest the closure of coal mines across the country, ultimately failing to budge Margaret Thatcher and her government's stance on the matter, resulting in over 200,000 job losses throughout the UK between 1980 and 1994. What was young Billy Elliot doing whilst this was all going on? Pursuing an unexpected love of ballet, in a town where being "manly" was of paramount importance, and in Elton John and Lee Hall's musical adaptation of the 2000 film of the same name, expressing yourself, your truest self, is the overriding message.
"Electricity" comes at a pivotal point in our title character's journey, he has just potentially ruined his chances at gaining entry to the Royal Ballet School through an ill-advised display of north eastern grit, and upon being reprimanded by the audition board, he is asked the question "what does it feel like when you're dancing?". We gain an incredibly poignant, uninhibited look into Billy's mind, and what truly makes him tick, something we had yet to see in full up until this point. Through this exceptional showcase of vocal and dancing ability, he endears himself to not only the panel, but every single member of the audience.
3. "BEING ALIVE - Company
For those of us who have reached the ripe old age of 35, there is plenty with which to empathise when it comes to Bobby's character in Sondheim and George Furth's 1970 musical "Company", heck as I write this, as a 35 year old single man in personal and professional limbo, I'm feeling like I embody the character more and more each day. And I know that I will not be alone in feeling this way, as there will have been many in years gone by, and many more to come, who will be in the exact same position, single in their mid-30s whilst many of their friends and colleagues are getting married, having children, and seemingly having their lives together to a far more discernible degree.
"Being Alive" is a song of both great cynical observation, but simultaneously a sense of hope for Bobby's own future, and a realisation that it's better to continue to strive for that one person who'll make him feel complete, rather than spending his entire life alone. In many ways, for the audience member, especially those in the same position, it destigmatises the notion of being single into your 30s, and provides comfort in knowing that everyone who seeks love and human connection knows that there is always the risk that you will be hurt doing so.
2. "CABARET" - Cabaret
What good is sitting alone in your room, especially when it feels like the end of the world, and much of Europe is falling apart around you? There really is no better place to be than at a Berlin cabaret club, even when said cabaret features an English songstress who's barely keeping it together mentally due to a mix of personal and political turmoil causing her world to come crashing down. And it's this which is at the very heart of Sally Bowles' desperate attempt to keep the show going, amid her own blissfully ignorant, self-destructive tendencies that she ends up fully embracing in the end.
Throughout the Kander and Ebb musical "Cabaret", we see a gradual but drastic tonal shift, from the frivolous, uninhibited nature of act one, to the very real, ugly influence of the rise of fascism in Nazi Germany, seeing collective fear rise, and the superficiality associated with those at the Kit Kat Club slowly stripped away to reveal what many had been denying for years until it was too late. The title track represents the most pivotal realisation of both Bowles and society as a whole, that no matter how much of a smile we try to fake, politics affects all of our lives, and even today its relevance and overall impact is undeniable.
1. "ROSE'S TURN" - Gypsy
There could never have been any doubt as to what was going to top this list, as we finish with Jules Verne and Stephen Sondheim's classic musical "Gypsy", and a role that has become a holy grail of musical theatre performance for many a leading lady of the stage. So many all time great performers like Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Imelda Staunton, and most recently Audra McDonald, have take on the role of matriarchal menace Rose Thompson Hovick, and left audiences with open mouths and stinging palms through justifiably extended standing ovations. This final solo number for Rose gives us the biggest indicator of the whole show of just how much she laments how her own life has turned out, failing to build a life in the spotlight, and realising just how much she has been living vicariously through her daughters.
In many ways, "Rose's Turn" is the quintessential eleven o'clock number, as it combines a major character climax and catharsis with show stopping musical theatre composition, most importantly though it largely hinges on the quality of the performance from the leading actor, the ability to express a complex melting pot of emotion, whilst also tackling Styne and Sondheim's immensely difficult, emotionally multi-layered score that highlights the character's vulnerability better than most others. Over 65 years and six different broadway stagings later, the lasting effect on audiences has truly solidified "Rose's Turn" as the pinnacle of modern musical theatre performance.
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Were there any I missed? Which is your favourite eleven o'clock number? Let me know in the comments, or on my instagram page.
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