Theatre
Tune in for our top musical hits – Day #2
The countdown of some of the most-iconic and most-popular musical theatre tunes continues today with three more classic songs from three amazing musicals.
The Phantom of the Opera – The Phantom of the Opera
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 musical, The Phantom of the Opera, based on the French novel Le Fantome de l’Opera by Gaston Leroux, features one of the most iconic and powerful songs you are likely to hear at the theatre. The song, also called The Phantom of the Opera, was originally performed by Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, the two performers who first portrayed characters the Phantom and Christine in the West End debut of the musical. The show appeared on Broadway two years later and continues to play at New York’s Majestic Theatre, which makes it the longest running show in Broadway history.
The Lion King – Circle of Life
This Disney classic has produced many great songs, but Circle of Life is the signature tune of both the 1994 feature film and stage musical, which premiered on Broadway in 1997 and has since been seen by more than 70 million people. Circle of Life was composed by Elton John with lyrics written by Tim Rice. It was nominated for the 1994 Academy Award for Best Song along with two other songs from the Lion King, Hakuna Matata and Can You Feel the Love Tonight, which won the Oscar. The Lion King is currently playing at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre and will open at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre in February 2015. Click here for tickets.
Sound of Music – Do-Re-Mi
How do you solve a problem like… choosing just one song from this beloved musical? There are so many wonderful songs from the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, including the title song The Sound of Music, My Favourite Things, Maria, So Long, Farewell, Climb Ev’ry Mountain and Edelweiss, but we have selected Do-Re-Mi for the purposes of this countdown. In the 1959 musical, Maria uses the song to teach the Von Trapp children the notes of the major musical scale. As well as being a popular stage musical, The Sound of Music was adapted in 1965 for the screen. The film version starred Julie Andrews as Maria.
