# Reprises in musicals that take on a completely different mood than the original **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538 "2010-09-03T21:00:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/41 "2010-09-07T22:09:20Z")
In State Fair, by the third or fourth iteration of “It’s a Grand Night for Singing”, you want to machine gun down everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/42 "2010-09-08T02:26:39Z")
> [@Sir\_Prize](#): > > I think all the examples have a reprise that is more melancholy or downright tragic. Are there any examples where the reprise is more upbeat and optimistic than “prise”? > > Is there a term for the first time a melody is played before the reprise? _sneaks in_ Again from TVTropes (I know, I know, I’m sorry!): [Triumphant Reprise](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TriumphantReprise). _runs back out_ ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/43 "2010-09-08T02:27:52Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > > [@Rodgers01](#): > > > > Lloyd Webber _is_ a “true” musical theater composer, and quite a good one at that. While he does sometimes drive the same melody home a few times too often, **in principle there’s nothing whatsoever wrong with having different - and even polar opposite - characters sing variations on the same song.** > > There’s no way I’m going to derail this thread by getting into a big Andrew Lloyd Webber debate, but this–especially my bolded part–is categorically, unequivocally false. > > Look, I’m a fan of the guy. _Superstar_ is what introduced me to musical theatre in the first place, and I also love \*Evita \*and _Sunset Boulevard_. But there’s a difference between using reprises of melodies to further enhance the story, and being lazy. Giving polar opposite characters the same melody is just that; lazy. The music should establish a character’s entire personality… his or her goals, moods, desires, everything. And you can’t do that effectively if you just recycle the same songs. I won’t even go into how he uses the same songs _in different shows._ There are very few things in musical theater that are “categorically, unequivocally false”. It’s a young art form that is still developing - it’s not like trying to write a sonnet or a haiku where you can definitely state that there is a strict protocol for how to do it. People try to make rules - for a while after _Oklahoma!_ there was a “rule” that every musical should have a dream ballet sequence. Right. (When’s the last time you thought a show fell short because it lacked a dream ballet?) Even basic principles such as that songs should advance plot or character could be broken: someone could welll write a '20s or '30s style review (_The Garrick Gaieties of 2010!_) with a bunch of novelty songs and interchageable ballads, and create a great evening of musical theater. It probably wouldn’t age well, but in its time it could be quite intelligent and “real”. But fine: conventions have grown up around musical comedies and dramas in the last 60 or so years. Songs reveal character and advance plot, there’s a dramatic arc, and at least one “I Want” song early on. Great. But even only looking at convention, your rule doesn’t hold up: in _The Music Man_ (as classic and respected a musical as you could want) when Marian sings “Seventy-Six Trombones” as “Good Night My Someone” was Meredith Wilson just too lazy to come up with a new tune? Or was he trying to subtly link the two leads together? Later in the show when Harold and Marion take on one another’s songs (the moment **Ulf the Unwashed** mentions), is it again laziness, or is he saying something about how the characters have changed? For a later example, in Disney’s _Aladdin_ when Jafar sings the reprise of “Prince Ali”, did anyone think, “That’s the genie’s song - it reveals nothing about Jafar’s personality!”? Or how about when Pseudolous sings the reprise of “Lovely” in _A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum_? Or Daddy Warbucks’ reprise of “Maybe” in _Annie_? Or the moment in _Jesus Christ Superstar_ that **choie** mentions? It’s simply a technique: not a hugely popular one, but not unheard of, and perfectly valid either way. It’s been used to great effect and to poor effect, and everything else in between. If you want to argue that Lloyd Webber uses the technique _badly_, well, that’s material for a different thread. But since you singled out the technique _itself_, all I can say is that…well, that you’re categorically and unequivocally wrong! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/44 "2010-09-08T07:57:13Z")
Agree to disagree. Although I will say I should have put a smiley after my previous post, because I’m certainly not taking it as seriously as my tone probably suggests. I do think **choie** ’s example is a poor one though, and really only serves to reinforce my point about it. That, to me, is an early example of Lloyd Webber reprising a melody in order to drill “the hit song” into the audience member’s heads so they’ll remember it better later. It would have made more (or at the very least, as much) sense to have him sing a reprise of “Damned For All Time”. And, not to like, talk myself up or anything, but I am aware of techniques used in musical theatre. I’ve worked as a professional music director/pianist/composer in NYC for eight years now, and before that I did it elsewhere for twelve. So I mean, I get what you’re saying. However, I stand by what I said, and my use of the word “true”, as in “a true musical theatre composer” is valid. I’m talking about composers like William Finn. Jason Robert Brown. Michael John LaChiusa. And of course, Stephen Sondheim. People who _seriously know_ how to construct a musical. I think ALW has a place in this world, and I am seriously in love with some of his work. But you guys aren’t allowed to use examples from _The Music Man_ and _Aladdin_ (seriously?) to refute what I’m saying, when those are the exact types of shows I’m talking about… shows that use the structure of a musical to let the audience hear great songs, as kind of a “Hey, thanks for coming… sit back and let us play these tunes for you, and we hope you enjoy” kind of thing. Some people demand more from their theatre. More sophistication in their storytelling, more sophistication in their songwriting, more sophistication in their character development. But I do agree that it’s an evolving art form, and as I’ve said, there is a place in this world for both ends of the spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/45 "2010-09-08T13:19:01Z")
Speaking of ALW, “Love Changes Everything” is _Aspects of Love_’s musical motif, used to describe the relationships between all the principle players. As Gerasrd Alessandrini parodied it in [iForbidden Broadway\* I, I sleep with everone, sleep with Jenny, sleep with Rose She, she sleeps with everone… With your uncles and my beaux. Yes I, I sleep with everyone, while I lust for Guiletta… Yes, we, we sleep with everyone, one by one and two by two. And if you’re in the audience then you’ll sleep too. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/46 "2010-09-08T16:15:29Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Speaking of ALW, “Love Changes Everything” is _Aspects of Love_’s musical motif, used to describe the relationships between all the principle players. As Gerasrd Alessandrini parodied it in [iForbidden Broadway\* > > I, I sleep with everone, sleep with Jenny, sleep with Rose > She, she sleeps with everone… > With your uncles and my beaux. > Yes I, I sleep with everyone, while I lust for Guiletta… > > Yes, we, we sleep with everyone, one by one and two by two. > And if you’re in the audience then you’ll sleep too. Except, of course, that’s not true. I’m not convinced that Alex ever sleeps with Jenny. He WANTS to, but he knows it’s illegal. He says as much: _If my body really ruled me, then we both know all to well / You’d end up wiht a lover locked inside a prison cell!_ ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/47 "2010-09-08T17:27:03Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > But there’s a difference between using reprises of melodies to further enhance the story, and being lazy. Giving polar opposite characters the same melody is just that; lazy. The music should establish a character’s entire personality… his or her goals, moods, desires, everything. And you can’t do that effectively if you just recycle the same songs. Gotta disagree a bit: it’s very effective to have polar opposites use the same tune/song but one use is proud/serious/happy, and the other’s use of it is ironic/mocking/sad. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/48 "2010-09-08T17:34:38Z")
…which…I now see a bunch of other people have commented on and you’ve responded to. :smack: 😉 That said, what’s wrong with Music Man–it’s a wonderful example of a musical comedy. There’s room in the genre for comedies, dramas and tragedies. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/49 "2010-09-08T21:12:02Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > I do think **choie** ’s example is a poor one though, and really only serves to reinforce my point about it. That, to me, is an early example of Lloyd Webber reprising a melody in order to drill “the hit song” into the audience member’s heads so they’ll remember it better later. It would have made more (or at the very least, as much) sense to have him sing a reprise of “Damned For All Time”. Hey, Mr. Musical Director guy, you don’t know JCS, do you? 'Cause [Judas does sing ‘Damned’ again](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPT06Oez5zA), right before the other reprise. Clearly ALW was opportunistically trying to get _Damned_ to be a big “hit song,” huh? After all, why else would Judas repeat it? 😉 Seriously, there’s being cynical about ALW’s motives, and there’s letting one’s cynicism become an obstacle to appreciating, or even acknowledging, a possibly wise move on the part of an artist. In JCS, it is _extremely_ effective to have Judas, _Judas freakin’ Iscariot_, the most famous betrayer in history, to sing “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.” I can’t even fathom thinking otherwise. But then, I don’t think of musicals as being divided into categories called “True Art” (written by True Composers, aka an anointed few) and “Hey let’s put on a show for the yokels!” (by shallow, Tin Pan Alley-esque hacks). I know you admit that each type of musical has its place, but such labels still seem like a rather tight-fisted, narrow way to look at art. (And by the way, fellow JCS fans, the amazing Judas in that clip is Drew Sarich. You may thank me for introducing him to you later. :D) ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/50 "2010-09-08T22:07:49Z")
> [@choie](#): > > Hey, Mr. Musical Director guy, you don’t know JCS, do you? 'Cause [Judas does sing ‘Damned’ again](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPT06Oez5zA), right before the other reprise. Clearly ALW was opportunistically trying to get _Damned_ to be a big “hit song,” huh? After all, why else would Judas repeat it? 😉 > > Seriously, there’s being cynical about ALW’s motives, and there’s letting one’s cynicism become an obstacle to appreciating, or even acknowledging, a possibly wise move on the part of an artist. In JCS, it is _extremely_ effective to have Judas, _Judas freakin’ Iscariot_, the most famous betrayer in history, to sing “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.” I can’t even fathom thinking otherwise. > > But then, I don’t think of musicals as being divided into categories called “True Art” (written by True Composers, aka an anointed few) and “Hey let’s put on a show for the yokels!” (by shallow, Tin Pan Alley-esque hacks). I know you admit that each type of musical has its place, but such labels still seem like a rather tight-fisted, narrow way to look at art. > > (And by the way, fellow JCS fans, the amazing Judas in that clip is Drew Sarich. You may thank me for introducing him to you later. :D) Ha, fair enough. I did forget he reprises that song too. 🙂 But again, that kind of proves my point… I mean, just look at the other thread (or just listen to people’s opinions over the past 40 years). The dude uses the same music over and over. Fact. _Sunset Boulevard_, as much as I love it, is _Aspects of Love 2.0_. I’ll concede that maybe I’m looking at it in terms that are a little too black and white, if you at least entertain the notion that _maybe_ ALW isn’t reprising all these songs because they serve the story, but perhaps because he thinks that’s the way musicals should be written, with his songs repeatedly burrowed into our heads. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/51 "2010-09-08T23:09:03Z")
I was a boy when I saw _Kismet_ about 50 years ago, so I might have this one wrong. The leading lady sings “Sweet Mystery Of Life” a couple times early on, and it’s wistful and dreamy. She can’t remember the whole song. At the end, when the shy young man turns out to be the bold outlaw leader, who sweeps her away, she sings it triumphantly. She’s found her love. Years later, Mel Brooks brought back the song as a sexual gag in the unforgettable _Young Frankenstein,_ where it means, ah, _roughly_ the same thing. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/52 "2010-09-09T03:47:11Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > Agree to disagree. Although I will say I should have put a smiley after my previous post, because I’m certainly not taking it as seriously as my tone probably suggests. > > I do think **choie** ’s example is a poor one though, and really only serves to reinforce my point about it. That, to me, is an early example of Lloyd Webber reprising a melody in order to drill “the hit song” into the audience member’s heads so they’ll remember it better later. It would have made more (or at the very least, as much) sense to have him sing a reprise of “Damned For All Time”. > > And, not to like, talk myself up or anything, but I am aware of techniques used in musical theatre. I’ve worked as a professional music director/pianist/composer in NYC for eight years now, and before that I did it elsewhere for twelve. So I mean, I get what you’re saying. However, I stand by what I said, and my use of the word “true”, as in “a true musical theatre composer” is valid. I’m talking about composers like William Finn. Jason Robert Brown. Michael John LaChiusa. And of course, Stephen Sondheim. People who _seriously know_ how to construct a musical. > > I think ALW has a place in this world, and I am seriously in love with some of his work. But you guys aren’t allowed to use examples from _The Music Man_ and _Aladdin_ (seriously?) to refute what I’m saying, when those are the exact types of shows I’m talking about… shows that use the structure of a musical to let the audience hear great songs, as kind of a “Hey, thanks for coming… sit back and let us play these tunes for you, and we hope you enjoy” kind of thing. Some people demand more from their theatre. More sophistication in their storytelling, more sophistication in their songwriting, more sophistication in their character development. > > But I do agree that it’s an evolving art form, and as I’ve said, there is a place in this world for both ends of the spectrum. Ha, we will indeed have to agree to disagree! Because while I respect your experience, I still think you’re very wrong! 🙂 There is no “true” musical theater or one way to structure a musical; there are all _types_ of musical theater. I’m not saying you should like them all or that they’re all equally sophisticated (though our lists of what is and isn’t would undoubtedly differ); I’m just saying it’s ridiculous to draw a line and say “this type is _true_, and that type is not”. It’s also kind of a destructive attitude, because while Brown/LaChiusa/Sondheim/etc. have done some great stuff, I shudder at the idea of a world where that’s the only kind of musical that people try for. I say bring on the “Hey, thanks for coming… sit back and let us play these tunes for you, and we hope you enjoy” practitioners - like, I dunno, Jerry Herman, Charles Strouse, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Menken and Ashman… ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/53 "2010-09-09T04:37:46Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Ha, we will indeed have to agree to disagree! Because while I respect your experience, I still think you’re very wrong! 🙂 There is no “true” musical theater or one way to structure a musical; there are all _types_ of musical theater. I’m not saying you should like them all or that they’re all equally sophisticated (though our lists of what is and isn’t would undoubtedly differ); I’m just saying it’s ridiculous to draw a line and say “this type is _true_, and that type is not”. > > It’s also kind of a destructive attitude, because while Brown/LaChiusa/Sondheim/etc. have done some great stuff, I shudder at the idea of a world where that’s the only kind of musical that people try for. I say bring on the “Hey, thanks for coming… sit back and let us play these tunes for you, and we hope you enjoy” practitioners - like, I dunno, Jerry Herman, Charles Strouse, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Menken and Ashman… I actually think we’re saying the same thing. 🙂 I can see from your point of view why it would be hard to understand that I’m not saying I don’t like shows like that, but I do. _Superstar_ got me interested in theatre in the first place, and hell, I even pop in _Jekyll & Hyde_ every now and then when I want to hear amazing women belt out some well-constructed songs. That’s what I was saying (albeit not very well) when I said there’s a place in this world for both kinds of shows. My use of the word “true” probably comes across as dismissive or condescending, but I don’t mean it to be. I agree, we need both kinds of shows just like we need frivolous sitcoms _and_ hard-hitting dramas on television. It’s a yin-yang thing. Of course I just noticed your user name, and I’m now realizing maybe I’ve been arguing with Richard Rodgers’ grandson or something. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/54 "2010-09-09T05:33:21Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > > [@Rodgers01](#): > > > > Ha, we will indeed have to agree to disagree! Because while I respect your experience, I still think you’re very wrong! 🙂 There is no “true” musical theater or one way to structure a musical; there are all _types_ of musical theater. I’m not saying you should like them all or that they’re all equally sophisticated (though our lists of what is and isn’t would undoubtedly differ); I’m just saying it’s ridiculous to draw a line and say “this type is _true_, and that type is not”. > > > > It’s also kind of a destructive attitude, because while Brown/LaChiusa/Sondheim/etc. have done some great stuff, I shudder at the idea of a world where that’s the only kind of musical that people try for. I say bring on the “Hey, thanks for coming… sit back and let us play these tunes for you, and we hope you enjoy” practitioners - like, I dunno, Jerry Herman, Charles Strouse, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Menken and Ashman… > > I actually think we’re saying the same thing. 🙂 I can see from your point of view why it would be hard to understand that I’m not saying I don’t like shows like that, but I do. _Superstar_ got me interested in theatre in the first place, and hell, I even pop in _Jekyll & Hyde_ every now and then when I want to hear amazing women belt out some well-constructed songs. That’s what I was saying (albeit not very well) when I said there’s a place in this world for both kinds of shows. > > My use of the word “true” probably comes across as dismissive or condescending, but I don’t mean it to be. I agree, we need both kinds of shows just like we need frivolous sitcoms _and_ hard-hitting dramas on television. It’s a yin-yang thing. > > Of course I just noticed your user name, and I’m now realizing maybe I’ve been arguing with Richard Rodgers’ grandson or something. 😉 Heh, alright then - I retract “you’re wrong” and replace it with “I don’t quite understand”. I do understand you’re saying we need both kinds of shows, and that’s good enough for me. As for “Uncle Dick”, I’ll never tell! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/55 "2010-09-09T14:28:54Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > Ha, fair enough. I did forget he reprises that song too. 🙂 But again, that kind of proves my point… I mean, just look at the other thread (or just listen to people’s opinions over the past 40 years). The dude uses the same music over and over. Fact. _Sunset Boulevard_, as much as I love it, is _Aspects of Love 2.0_. > > I’ll concede that maybe I’m looking at it in terms that are a little too black and white, if you at least entertain the notion that _maybe_ ALW isn’t reprising all these songs because they serve the story, but perhaps because he thinks that’s the way musicals should be written, with his songs repeatedly burrowed into our heads. I definitely don’t deny that he repeats his music to a fault, and I think hummability is often one of the reasons. I just don’t think every time he does it is for a single reason – propping up a song he thinks will be a hit – and certainly not that early in his career (pre-gigantro-fame). Pretty sure he and Rice didn’t seriously think JCS was gonna be a huge mainstream hit to the point where he’d try to prop up the love song by putting it in the mouth of one of history’s greatest villains. 🙂 In fact, the biggest hit off the show was sung only once, at the very end (albeit there is a hint of the first line earlier, during _The Last Supper_ argument, and in the overture – but that’s standard in musical overtures). Actually, I also think some of his repeating shtick stems from his love of opera and Puccini in particular. Repeated leitmotifs are very common in Puccini, and I think Webber fancies that kind of hammering-the-point-home form of musical storytelling. > [@AskNott](#): > > I was a boy when I saw _Kismet_ about 50 years ago, so I might have this one wrong. The leading lady sings “Sweet Mystery Of Life” a couple times early on, and it’s wistful and dreamy. She can’t remember the whole song. At the end, when the shy young man turns out to be the bold outlaw leader, who sweeps her away, she sings it triumphantly. She’s found her love. > > Years later, Mel Brooks brought back the song as a sexual gag in the unforgettable _Young Frankenstein,_ where it means, ah, _roughly_ the same thing. 😉 Oops, I think you’re conflating two songs from two shows. “Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life” is from _Naughty Marietta_, the Victor Herbert operetta, and I don’t think it appears in _Kismet_. I wonder if you’re thinking of “[And This Is My Beloved](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4mFL2Jd7zY&feature=related)” from _Kismet_, which does have a similar downward-scale melody? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538/56 "2010-09-09T14:50:10Z")
_Sound of Music_ has received several mentions but I’ll add another one: the eponymous track! First sung by Maria in the Alps with arms outstretched & spinning, then later taught to the kids, it makes a slow multi-part-harmony reprise when the kids are practicing the music without her after she’s left the family temporarily. The kids do it beautiful and very sad. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reprises-in-musicals-that-take-on-a-completely-different-mood-than-the-original/552538.md?page=2)