Show Tune Showdown #10: 1983-86 Broadway Seasons


In the ninth Show Tune Showdown, Sunset Boulevard won the most showdowns - and the following songs will be moving on to Round 2:

Sunset Boulevard's "Sunset Boulevard", "The Perfect Year", "As If We Never Said Goodbye", "With One Look" and "New Ways to Dream"

RENT's "Another Day", "I'll Cover You", "Seasons of Love" and "What You Own"

Beauty and the Beast's "Home"

PLEASE NOTE: The next Show Tune Showdown will be on Monday, February 27.

Now on to our tenth Show Tune Showdown, which takes us back to three Broadway seasons - 1983-84, 1984-85 and 1985-86 - when the following nine musicals opened:

La Cage aux Folles
August 21, 1983 - November 15, 1987 (1,761 performances)
Revival: December 9, 2004 - June 26, 2005 (229 performances)
Revival: April 18, 2010 - May 1, 2011 (433 performances)

Baby
December 4, 1983 - July 1, 1984 (241 performances)

The Tap Dance Kid
December 21, 1983 - August 11, 1985 (669 performances)

The Rink
February 9, 1984 - August 4, 1984 (204 performances)

Sunday in the Park with George
May 2, 1984 - October 13, 1985 (604 performances)
Revival: February 21, 2008 - June 29, 2008 (149 performances)

Big River
April 25, 1985 - September 20, 1987 (1,005 performances)
Revival: July 24, 2003 - September 21, 2003 (67 performances)

Song and Dance
September 18, 1985 - November 8, 1986 (474 performances)

Mayor
October 23, 1985 - January 5, 1986 (70 performances)

The Mystery of Edwin Drood
December 2, 1985 - May 16, 1987 (608 performances)

Now here are the competing show tunes - and if you're wondering how to judge each showdown, just ask yourself, "Which song do I enjoy listening to more?"

"La Cage aux Folles" (Lee Roy Reams performs at Jerry Herman's Broadway at the Hollywood Bowl on June 30, 1993)

vs.

Sunday in the Park's "Sunday" (Daniel Evans and company perform at the BBC Proms 2010)





La Cage's "We Are What We Are" (the original Les Cagelles perform at the Tony Awards on June 3, 1984 - you can also watch George Hearn perform "I Am What I Am")

vs.

Edwin Drood's "There You Are" (George Rose and the original Broadway cast perform on the 40th Annual Tony Awards on June 1, 1986)





La Cage's "I Am What I Am" (Douglas Hodge performs at the Royal Variety Performance on December 11, 2008)

vs.

Sunday in the Park's "Finishing the Hat" (Mandy Patinkin performs during the October 1985 taping for television of the original Broadway production)





Song and Dance's "Unexpected Song" (Bernadette Peters performs during her 1998 concert at London's Royal Festival Hall

vs.

Sunday in the Park's "Putting It Together" (Barbra Streisand performs on her 1985 album, The Broadway Album)





La Cage's "The Best of Times" (Douglas Hodge, Kelsey Grammer and the cast of the 2010 Broadway revival perform on the Tony Awards on June 13, 2010)

vs.

Sunday in the Park's "Move On" (Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin perform during the October 1985 taping for television of the original Broadway production)





La Cage's "With You on My Arm" (Kelsey Grammer and Douglas Hodge perform on Good Morning America on May 14, 2010)

vs.

Baby's "Two People in Love" (Liz Callaway and Todd Graff perform on the original Broadway cast recording)





La Cage's "Song on the Sand" (Davis Gaines performs at Jerry Herman's Broadway at the Hollywood Bowl on June 30, 1993)

vs.

Big River's "River in the Rain" (Roger Miller performs the song he wrote)





La Cage's "Look Over There" (Robert Goulet performs in the Broadway revival in 2005)

vs.

Baby's "I Chose Right" (John Barrowman performs on his 2000 album, Reflections From Broadway)





La Cage's "A Little More Mascara" (female impersonator Randy Roberts performs in 2007)

vs.

Song and Dance's "Take That Look Off Your Face" (Marti Webb performs in 1980)





Baby's "What Could Be Better?" (Liz Callaway and Todd Graff perform in the original Broadway production, beginning at 5:29)

vs.

Edwin Drood's "Don't Quit While You're Ahead" (Cleo Laine, Betty Buckley and the company perform on the original Broadway cast recording)





Edwin Drood's "Perfect Strangers" (Patti Cohenour and Betty Buckley perform on the original Broadway cast recording)

vs.

The Rink's "Wallflower" (Chita Rivera and Liza Minnelli perform on the 38th Annual Tony Awards on June 3, 1984 )





Baby's "The Story Goes On" (Liz Callaway performs on the original Broadway cast recording)

vs.

The Rink's "Colored Lights" (Julia Murney performs at Birdland Jazz on Monday, August 1, 2011)





Baby's "I Want It All" (Beth Fowler, Catherine Cox and Liz Callaway perform on the 38th Annual Tony Awards on June 3, 1984)

vs.

The Rink's "The Apple Doesn’t Fall" (Chita River and Liza Minnelli perform at the Gala of Stars '84 at Radio City)





Baby's "Patterns" (Shira Averbuch performs in 2011)

vs.

The Rink's "Chief Cook and Bottle Washer" (Chita Rivera performs on the original Broadway cast recording)





Song and Dance's "Tell Me on a Sunday" (Michael Crawford performs on The Tonight Show in 1990)

vs.

The Rink's "Blue Crystal" (Nurse Jackie's Stephen Wallem performs in Off The Wallem at NYC's Don't Tell Mama on June 23, 2010)





Big River's "Muddy Water" (Ron Richardson and Daniel H. Jenkins perform on the 39th Annual Tony Awards on June 2, 1985, beginning at 4:21)

vs.

The Tap Dance Kid's "Fabulous Feet" (Hinton Battle sings on the original Broadway cast recording as Scott Hamilton skates in 1990)





Mayor's "You Can Be a New Yorker Too!" (from the original Broadway cast recording)

vs.

Song and Dance's "Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad" (Sarah Brightman performs on The Tonight Show on January 31, 1991)



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