11 o'clock number

Theater term for type of musical number From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

11 o'clock number is a theatre term for a big, show-stopping song that occurs late in the second act of a two-act musical, in which a major character, often the protagonist, comes to an important realization. It was so named because in the days when musical performances would start at 8:30 p.m., this song would occur around 11.[1] Examples include "Rose's Turn" from Gypsy, "Cabaret" from Cabaret, "Memory" from Cats, and "What I Did for Love" from A Chorus Line.[2]

Among the theatre community there is some debate as to the characteristics of an 11 o'clock number. It often signifies a moment of revelation or change of heart of a lead character, although there are exceptions to this.[3] The 11 o'clock number is also differentiated from the finale in that it is not the final number in the show, but even this is not considered a requirement by some commenters.[4] Broadway producer Jack Viertel defines an 11 o'clock number as "a final star turn".[5]

Origins

In the 1930s, the average start time of a Broadway production was 8:30, hence the musical revue titled Life Begins at 8:40. In the 1970s, however, New York City got more dangerous and people did not want to stay out late in fear of their safety.[citation needed] As a result, the Shubert Organization pushed all of their show times to 7:30.[6] Producer David Merrick used this to his advantage by pushing his showtimes to 8:00, attracting anyone who didn't get tickets to shows at 7:30. By 1975, everyone else made their showtimes 8:00.[7] This didn't deter Merrick from pushing the showtime for 42nd Street, at the St. James Theatre, to 8:15, to entice anyone who was turned away at the Majestic Theatre, playing The Phantom of the Opera.[8] Eventually, showtimes would shift earlier to 7:00, which is the current standard time.

Notable 11 o'clock numbers

References

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