The Best Closing Lines From Musicals

Recently on Twitter, my friend Howard Sherman (@HESherman) started a hashtag topic on the best closing lines from the stage (#beststageclosinglines).

Needless to say, I contributed a few of my own, and I'm sure you won't be surprised that they were mostly from musicals. (Although I did include "Blow out your candles, Laura." Chills.) But after a half-dozen entries or so, I decided that it might be fun to put together a blog post with some of my favorite closing lines from musicals.

Now, I didn't necessarily take the phrase "closing lines" literally. It's a bit easier with plays, but with musicals, you very frequently have a final reprise or a medley. Some of the items listed below are the actual final words uttered during the show, but in many cases, they're simply the last meaningful lines, whether spoken or sung. And by "meaningful," I was simply going for something that was distinctive but not necessarily a giveaway.

So, for instance, you won't find Gypsy represented below, because the last line in that show is, "Madam Rose...and her daughter, Gypsy!" I mean, where's the fun in that? But you also won't find Fiddler on the Roof here, because the last line there is, "Come, children. Let's go." Even I would have a tough time with that one, so I certainly wouldn't want to foist so vague a reference upon you, dear reader. That's not to say that there aren't some hard ones here. Some of these are quite tough.

So, give 'er a crack. No prize this time, but feel free to submit your answers as comments below. I'll only publish the answers in a week or so, at which time I will also publish the correct answers.

Good luck.

1. "Where the devil are my slippers?"
2. "Miss Jones...Take a wire to the White House: Watch out!"
3. "So many possibilities."
4. "Te adoro, Anton."
5. "Happy birthday, Robert!"
6. "I wish!"
7. "Don't deny your beast inside!" 
8. "Achoo!"
9. "You choose."
10. "What adventures we're going to have together!"
11. "Mrs. Paroo! That's Winthrop!"
12. "And I'm very glad we're going to be working together." 
13. "Turn around, girlfriend. And listen to that boy's song." 
14. "Hail, Malthus!" 
15. "You just want to laugh at my French accent. All right, but you've got to help me." 
16. "I'm so lucky!" 
17. "You must always leave the wall." 
18. "I want to remember each man's face as he signs." 
19. "But we are the living examples of what a wonderful country this is." 
20. "Don't feed the plants!" 
21. "I loved you, Julie! Know that I loved you!"
22. "I told ye when ye love someone deeply anythin' is possible. Even miracles."
23. "Yeah, I'm all choked up." 
24. "It was the end of the world...and we were both fast asleep."
25. "Father into your hands I commend my spirit."
26. "You have the power of Pandora's Box, Lee. Open it."
27. "Son, if you are only as happy and your mother and I, my heart will bleed for you." 
28. "I'll tell the world this is a lousy job."
29. "Next!"
30. "Only the last."
31. EXTRA CREDIT: What's the significance of the Curtains logo above?

Comments

[Andy P.]

This is the best I could do. Question marks are ones I'm uncertain of:

My Fair Lady
How To Succeed....
"So many possibilities."
West Side Story
Company
Into the Woods
Bat Boy
Guys and Dolls ?
"You choose."
Mame
The Music Man
"And I'm very glad we're going to be working together."
Rent
Urinetown
South Pacific
"I'm so lucky!"
The Fantastiks
1776
Chicago
Little Shop of Horrors
Carousel
Brigadoon
"Yeah, I'm all choked up."
Cabaret
Godspell ?
Assassins
"Son, if you are only as happy and your mother and I, my heart will bleed for you."
The Adding Machine ?
"Next!"
"Only the last."
EXTRA CREDIT: What's the significance of the Curtains logo above?

[Laine Binder]

Many many guesses, but here are the ones I am absolutely certain of without double checking: 13. Rent, 14. Urinetown (a BRILLIANT last line), 20. Little Shop of Horrors 24. my fave! Cabaret

Here are my educated guesses and gut feelings: 1. My Fair Lady, 5. Company, 6. Into the Woods, 18. 1776, 21. Carousel, 23. Grease

Kind of embarrassed that I only got this many and none of these seem like the tricky ones. Ah well.

[Patrick]

Let's give this a shot:
1. My Fair Lady
2. How to Succeed...
3. Sunday in the Park with George
4. West Side Story
5. Company
6. Into the Woods
7. Sounds like Jekyll & Hyde
8. Guys and Dolls?
14. Urinetown
15. South Pacific
18. 1776
20. Little Shop
21. Carousel
22. sounds like Brigadoon
25. Well...it's either Godspell or JCS...let's try JCS
26. Assassins
27. Forum
28. Adding Machine
29. Pacific Overtures

Alright. That's the best I can do.

[Matt Tamanini]

Good ones Chris. I am stumped on some, but others are on the tip of my tongue. Oh well, this is what I can come up with:

1. My Fair Lady
2. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
3. ????
4. West Side Story
5. Company
6. Into the Woods
7. Bat Boy
8. Guys and Dolls
9. ????
10. Mame
11. Music Man
12. ????
13. Rent
14. Urinetown
15. South Pacific
16. ????
17. The Fantasticks
18. 1776
19. Chicago
20. Little Shop of Horrors
21. Carousel
22. ????
23. Cabaret
24. Godspell
25. Assassins
26. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
27. Adding Machine
28. ????
29. ????
30. Last lines written by Kander and Ebb

[Sarah]

"Where the devil are my slippers?" - My Fair Lady. Absolutely love this one!
"Te adoro, Anton." - West Side Story. Another favourite. :P
"Happy birthday, Robert!" - Company
"I wish!" - Into the Woods?
"Don't deny your beast inside!" - This sounds like Batboy maybe. Or Jekyll and Hyde. (I haven't see either).
"Mrs. Paroo! That's Winthrop!" - Music Man? That's the only thing Winthrop makes me think of :P
"I want to remember each man's face as he signs." - 1776? Cause there's signing involved...
"Don't feed the plants!" - Little Shop of Horrors
"It was the end of the world...and we were both fast asleep." - Ah, oh I know this one...Cabaret! I love that moment where you remember something you've been trying to. Not so much the moment where you give up.
"Father into your hands I commend my spirit." - Jesus Christ Superstar?
"You have the power of Pandora's Box, Lee. Open it." - Assassins
"Next!" - A Chorus Line?

Glad I was able to get some, glad there's still a lot of great musical theatre left for me to discover :)

[Lauren]

Ok, I only know a few, but I'm going to guess some too!

4. West Side Story
5. Company
8. Guys and Dolls (love that you put this one!)
11. Music Man
13. RENT
14. Urinetown
15. South Pacific
18. 1776 ?
21. Carousel
22. Brigadoon ?
25. Jesus Christ Superstar

Mmmm...that's all I got, I think!

[Bud C]

21. Carousel
22. Brigadoon
25. Carrie

[ProducerWannabe]

Nice post, but I can only name a couple....

And what about "I still have maggots in my scrotum!" ? That's a good closing line =)

[-Rich]

Number 13 makes me go "Aww." To this day, Angel still touches me on so many levels. I mean, could there be a more fabulous line for a fabulous gal??? I don't recognize most of these though...looks like I need to pay attention more.

[Keith Gow]

5. Company
6. Into the Woods
13. Rent
20. Little Shop of Horrors
26. Assassins

[John Krause]

1) My Fair Lady
2)H2S
4) West Side Story
5)Company
6) Into the Woods
13) Rent
20) Little Shop
21) Carousel
22) Finian's Rainbow
24) Cabaret
25) Jesus Christ Super Star or Godspell

[ccaggiano]

1. "Where the devil are my slippers?" MY FAIR LADY
2. "Miss Jones...Take a wire to the White House: Watch out!" HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
3. "So many possibilities." SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
4. "Te adoro, Anton." WEST SIDE STORY
5. "Happy birthday, Robert!" COMPANY
6. "I wish!" INTO THE WOODS
7. "Don't deny your beast inside!" BAT BOY
8. "Achoo!" GUYS AND DOLLS
9. "You choose." GREY GARDENS
10. "What adventures we're going to have together!" MAME
11. "Mrs. Paroo! That's Winthrop!" THE MUSIC MAN
12. "And I'm very glad we're going to be working together." A CHORUS LINE
13. "Turn around, girlfriend. And listen to that boy's song." RENT
14. "Hail, Malthus!" URINETOWN
15. "You just want to laugh at my French accent. All right, but you've got to help me." SOUTH PACIFIC
16. "I'm so lucky!" THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG
17. "You must always leave the wall." THE FANTASTICKS
18. "I want to remember each man's face as he signs." 1776
19. "But we are the living examples of what a wonderful country this is." CHICAGO
20. "Don't feed the plants!" LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
21. "I loved you, Julie! Know that I loved you!" CAROUSEL
22. "I told ye when ye love someone deeply anythin' is possible. Even miracles." BRIGADOON
23. "Yeah, I'm all choked up." GREASE
24. "It was the end of the world...and we were both fast asleep." CABARET
25. "Father into your hands I commend my spirit." JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
26. "You have the power of Pandora's Box, Lee. Open it." ASSASSINS
27. "Son, if you are only as happy and your mother and I, my heart will bleed for you." A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
28. "I'll tell the world this is a lousy job." ADDING MACHINE
29. "Next!" PACIFIC OVERTURES
30. "Only the last." A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
EXTRA CREDIT: What's the significance of the Curtains logo above? WELL, CUZ THE CURTAIN COMES DOWN AT THE END OF THE SHOW. AT LEAST IT USED TO.

THANKS FOR PLAYING!

[Arti]

But, but, but...you said you wouldn't publish answers fopr a week or so??? Wahhh...I wanted to play, too!

[ccaggiano]

Well, you didn't *have* to look at the answers...

[Gil]

Wasn't the last line in Bat Boy something like "I’m not a boy; I’m an Animal"?

[ccaggiano]

Gil, with Bat Boy I went with the last sung line in the show, which is "Don't deny your beast inside." Bat Boy's final line is indeed "I'm not a boy. I'm an animal." But the last spoken line goes to the Sheriff: "It's a long story. I don't know where to begin." Then we get the reprise of "Hold Me, Bat Boy," which ends with the line above.

And, trust me, the only reason I know all of this is because I have the script in front of me.

[James]

FUN! Just the ones I think I know:

"Where the devil are my slippers?" MY FAIR LADY
"Miss Jones...Take a wire to the White House: Watch out!" HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
"So many possibilities." SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
"Te adoro, Anton." WEST SIDE STORY
"Happy birthday, Robert!" COMPANY
"I wish!" INTO THE WOODS
"Achoo!" GUYS AND DOLLS
"Mrs. Paroo! That's Winthrop!" THE MUSIC MAN
"And I'm very glad we're going to be working together." A CHORUS LINE
"Don't feed the plants!" LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
"I loved you, Julie! Know that I loved you!" CAROUSEL?
"I told ye when ye love someone deeply anythin' is possible. Even miracles." BRIGADOON
"It was the end of the world...and we were both fast asleep." CABARET (I knew I'd remember sooner or later)
"Father into your hands I commend my spirit." JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
"You have the power of Pandora's Box, Lee. Open it." ASSASSINS
"Son, if you are only as happy and your mother and I, my heart will bleed for you." A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORM (And I really had to think about that one)

[Mark Andrew]

Curtains Logo - because the last line of a show is known as the curtain line.