Verizon Versus Overture
By Andy Hertz
Whatever happened to the overture? For years, musicals opened with the lush sounds of a 30+ piece orchestra that entertained the audience for a few minutes before the show officially started. Today, fewer and fewer shows use overtures, and even fewer (if any) contain entr’actes. Has contemporary musical theater decided that overtures have become passe? Or are there other things that are more important than the aural opening of a show that contains no action onstage, when every minute costs money?
Perhaps authors and producers have determined that the preview of musical themes in the overture is not worth revealing. Perhaps orchestra size which has dwindled tremendously (but increased in the number of electronic and synthesized sounds), would make an overture unappealing. Perhaps there is not enough time to remind people to shut off their cell phones AND play an overture. Perhaps the cell phone announcement is today’s overture.
I have always loved the overture, often more than the songs in a show. When I went to see the Patti Lupone revival of Gypsy last year, and the overture began, played by a large orchestra and fully visible on the stage, I got chills. Not only was it a relief to hear the show the way the author originally intended it, but the music got me excited to see the rest of the show. The show was wonderful, but if it weren’t, I would have at least been enjoyed it for quite some time after hearing such a rousing piece of music.