- 11 hours ago
Some of Broadway’s most iconic solos also happen to be among the toughest to master. From rapid-fire patter songs to emotionally intense ballads, these challenging musical theatre solos test a singer's vocal range, breath control, and acting chops. Whether it’s a powerhouse belt or delicate falsetto, join us as we explore the incredible skill behind these unforgettable performances.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Here I am
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:08And today, we're counting down our picks for the most difficult theater songs for solo singers.
00:19Number 10. Watch What Happens, Newsies
00:22A difficult musical theater solo is about more than just the high notes.
00:26And this one has a few different challenges.
00:29Only that, there's a story behind the story. Thousands of children, exploited, invisible.
00:34Speak up, take a stand, and there's someone to write about it. That's how things get better.
00:40Written by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman,
00:42Watch What Happens is sung by Newsies female lead Kathryn Plummer,
00:45a character who was created for the stage musical.
00:48It's a fast-paced patter song for a mezzo-soprano, stretching from a G4 to an E5.
00:53And it requires some serious breath control.
00:56Just look around at the world we're inheriting and think of the one we'll create.
01:01Their mistake is they got old. That is not a mistake. We'll be making no sir. We'll stay young forever.
01:07The singer has to transition between a chest voice, head voice, and speak singing.
01:11All while maintaining good diction and conveying the range of emotions that come over Kathryn throughout the song.
01:17Kara Lindsay originated the role on Broadway, and she makes it look easy, but it's trickier than it appears.
01:23Whatever happens, let's begin.
01:38The pressure is on for any actress performing the role of Mama Rose in Gypsy,
01:42and not just because they're following in the footsteps of many famous stars.
01:53Rose's turn is the big 11 o'clock number and a total showstopper.
01:58After spending her life, and the entirety of the first act, pushing her daughters to be the best and the brightest,
02:04Rose finally takes center stage.
02:15She bears her soul in a five-minute soliloquy that Bette Midler once called, quote,
02:20a terrifying piece of music.
02:22It's the emotional heart of the musical, and at its best, a gut-wrenching tour de force that reminds us how magical musical theatre can be.
02:41Number 8. Gethsemane, I Only Want To Say, Jesus Christ Superstar.
02:45Andrew Lloyd Webber has created some of musical theatre's most demanding solos, but Gethsemane may be the most difficult.
02:52God took you on the right, and that's a hard way!
02:59Judas also tackles some challenging scales and heaven on their minds, but Jesus really has his work cut out in Gethsemane.
03:05He not only needs to dig deep emotionally, but also reach a high G5.
03:10Alright!
03:12I'll die!
03:17Oh, just watch me die!
03:20The challenging rock ballad takes place the night before the crucifixion, when Jesus prays alone in the Garden of Gethsemane and asks his father whether his death is the only way.
03:29It's a very big song and bound to be intimidating for any actor, whether or not they're in control of their falsetto.
03:35Before I change my mind...
03:52Number 7. The Ballad of Jane Doe, Ride the Cyclone.
03:55In this 2009 musical by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, a group of teens plummet to their deaths on a faulty rollercoaster and compete for a second chance at life by relating their backstories through song.
04:07Oh my soul, is it here? Or is it rotting somewhere with my head?
04:15Jane Doe's haunting lament is one of the most talked about moments in the show, but it's more of a classical aria than a musical theatre piece.
04:22It's best suited to a powerful soprano with good classical technique, especially when you get to that fiendishly difficult final run.
04:37Aside from the technical stuff, Jane's story is also the most tragic.
04:41To really win over an audience, the singer has to find a way to convey some very dark emotions, while also giving an impeccable operatic vocal performance.
04:49What shame! Cruel existence was only a sham!
04:58Anyone who's ever tried to sing an ABBA song at karaoke will know they're much more difficult than they look.
05:04So pity the singer who attempts to take on this solo from Chess, which is considered one of the biggest challenges for male musical theatre performers.
05:10Just the same way as before!
05:19The 1984 musical was written by ABBA duo Benny Anderson and Bjorn Olvaeus, with lyrics by Olvaeus and Tim Rice.
05:25Set during the Cold War, it tells the story of two rival grandmasters, one Russian, one American.
05:31Pity the Child is sung by the latter, and is a powerful star turn if the performer can overcome its difficulties.
05:46It's an emotionally raw rock ballad for a tenor voice, climbing to an octave above middle C.
05:51Just in case he said...
06:00Number 5. Bring Him Home, Les Miserables.
06:03Written specifically for Colm Wilkinson, who originated the role of Jean Valjean,
06:07Bring Him Home is a moving ballad that requires a lot of control, and a beautiful falsetto to really do it justice.
06:13It's a slow song with a simple melody and a lot of repetition.
06:31Nevertheless, it's a famously difficult tenor part, thanks to the range, the shifting dynamics, and the emotional heft of the piece.
06:38Let me cry. Let me rest.
06:51We see many facets to Jean Valjean throughout the show, but his plea to God to protect the man his adopted daughter loves is one of the most touching moments.
06:59The lead actor must be able to convey both the power and the tenderness, in addition to hitting those high notes, sometimes while sitting down.
07:08Bring Him Home.
07:21Number 4. No Good Deed.
07:23Wicked.
07:24Defying Gravity may be Wicked's flagship song, and the number all musical theatre kids dream of taking a crack at.
07:29But the second act of the show provides an even bigger challenge.
07:33No Good Deed is Elphaba's second act showcase.
07:44A dark, tortured soliloquy full of complex melodies, changing dynamics, and a little bit of speak singing.
07:51If that's all good deeds are, maybe that's the reason why.
07:59Because of the orchestration, it requires a singer who can really belt it out to be heard above the music.
08:04Sustaining those long, loud notes, but also seamlessly transitioning into the softer moments.
08:09It was written specifically for Idina Menzel, known for her powerful belt.
08:14The E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E.
08:22Number 3. Confrontation. Jekyll and Hyde.
08:25You could argue that playing the lead in Jekyll and Hyde requires double the skill of an ordinary musical theatre role.
08:31All that you are is a face in the mirror. I close my eyes and you disappear.
08:35I'm what you face when you face in the mirror. Long as you live, I will still be here.
08:40You're taking on two lead characters with distinctive and opposite personalities.
08:44To make things even more complicated, they have very different singing styles.
08:48To perform both and make it convincing, you'll need a big range and a lot of stamina.
09:03In Confrontation, Dr. Jekyll and his evil alter ego finally face off against each other, resulting in a frenzied duet that is actually a solo.
09:12Either way, it's a cruel challenge for a leading man, although probably a lot of fun too.
09:17Damn you Hyde! Set me free! Can't you see you are me? No! Deep inside, I am you! You are Hyde!
09:29Number 2. And I am telling you I'm not going. Dreamgirls.
09:33Effie White is not a role for the faint-hearted.
09:36Damn you! I am Hyde!
09:44With multiple significant numbers and a lot to belt about, it's a star vehicle that requires some serious star quality.
09:50Jennifer Holliday set the bar sky-high in the original Broadway production, and Jennifer Hudson launched her career off the back of a stellar performance in the movie musical.
09:59When performed with the power and passion it requires, And I'm Telling You is the kind of song that'll have the audience on their feet in a standing ovation before you can say interval.
10:20Starting off quietly, it builds to a stirring emotional crescendo, and that final heartbreaking note that never fails to tug at the heart strings.
10:28I'm gonna love my...
10:40Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:50Rainbow High, Evita. Not the most famous song in the show, but arguably the most difficult.
10:57So Christian Dior me, from my head to my toes, I need to be dazzling, I want to be Rainbow High.
11:08Dead Girl Walking, Heather's. We'd kill for a range like that.
11:12Yeah, I won't see my heart, take this dead girl walking.
11:17Hey, don't you find my address?
11:19Let's break the bed, rock this dead girl.
11:22I think you told me that you...
11:23I'm here, the color purple.
11:25Cynthia Erivo says it's more difficult than defying gravity, and we believe her.
11:29I'm here.
11:32Made of Stone, the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
11:39Quasimodo's big second-act solo requires a powerhouse singer.
11:43Forevermore be dry, until the day I die.
11:48The modern Major General's song, The Pirates of Penzance.
11:52This tongue-twisting classic is the perfect warm-up exercise.
11:55I am the very model of a modern Major General.
11:57I've information, vegetable animal and mineral.
12:00They knew the kings of England, and they quote the fight's historical.
12:02From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical.
12:05Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel,
12:08and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
12:12You have the option to be notified for occasional videos, or all of them.
12:16If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
12:21Number 1. Getting Married Today. Company.
12:24Stephen Sondheim is known for his complex melodies and whip-smart lyrics.
12:28But of all the songs he's ever written, this may be the most demonically difficult.
12:32Pardon me is everybody there, because if everybody's there,
12:34I want to thank you all for coming to the wedding.
12:36I'd appreciate you going even more.
12:37I mean, you must have lots of better things to do, and not a word of it to Paul.
12:39Remember, Paul, you know the man I'm gonna marry, but I'm not,
12:41because I wouldn't ruin anyone as wonderful as he is.
12:43Company follows 30-something bachelor Bobby and his friends through a series of vignettes.
12:47In Getting Married Today, the focus is on Amy, a bride-to-be with a terrible case of cold feet.
12:53Listen, everybody, I'm afraid you didn't hear or do you want to see a crazy lady fall apart in front of you.
12:56It isn't only Paul who may be ruining his life.
12:58You know what both of us are losing our identities.
13:00I tell all my analysts about it.
13:01Her fourth-wall breaking solo is a rapid-fire patter song, calling for strong diction,
13:06insane breath control, and impeccable comedic timing.
13:09It starts fast and gets faster, mimicking Amy's frantic spiral into wedding-based anxiety.
13:14Anyone who can master it should be applauded.
13:27Have you ever tried to sing any of these?
13:29And what do you think is the most challenging musical theater role?
13:32Let us know in the comments.
Be the first to comment