History SoundtrackDissonance / Musical

* ''Theatre/Portal2TheUnauthorizedMusical'': At the end of "If You Could See You", a cheery instrumental reprise of the song is played while [[spoiler: Caroline is dragged off to be forcibly put into [=GLaDOS=], struggling and screaming]].
* In the stage version of ''Theatre/WestSideStory'', Maria sings "I Feel Pretty" after the rumble scene, and before she finds out Tony killed her brother, and "Gee, Officer Krupke" is also sang after the death of Riff. Both songs were moved to before the rumble in the movie version.
* ''Theatre/{{Cabaret}}'' introduces its upbeat title song immediately following a scene where one of the main characters gets beaten up by Nazis.
** The opening number, "Willkommen," evolves into this song. At the top of the show, the Emcee sings "Welcome, stranger -- happy to see you, stay!" in 3 languages, all chirpy and everything, while the girls on stage entice the men in the audience, apparently enjoying the spectacle just as much as the Emcee is. This lasts until the very last version of the song -- in which the girls are jaded, low-energy, bruised and beaten, their clothing torn, and the Emcee has become practically malevolent. It's a commentary on the "mask of normalcy" people are wearing during the Nazi occupation, and if you know it's coming, it makes the song a lot less chirpily cheerful during the opening.
** Another example from ''Cabaret'' is "Tomorrow Belongs to Me", the upbeat opener sung by a bunch of young people about how the future's going to be great. Then you realize it's being sung by the Hitler Youth.
* Most of the score of ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'', whether it's the "Johanna Sequence", where Sweeney sings a tender ballad of paternal love as he slits throats, "God, That's Good", wherein Mrs. Lovett, Toby, and a slew of "satisfied" customers sing about how great the meat pies are, or "A Little Priest," a cheery waltz about Mrs. Lovett's... [[ImAHumanitarian ideas.]]
** The "Johanna Sequence" is an odd example, given that Sweeney's lines are about how he doesn't really care what happens to his daughter anymore -- a song about how he's basically losing his humanity while he murders people isn't quite as strange. The song/action combination is still dissonant, though.
** It's not that Sweeney ''doesn't care'' about Johanna any more, it's more that he's growing resigned to the fact that he can never be her father... almost a lament for the fact that he's lost her. So not too dissonant really...
** Adding onto the fact that he feels it would be too painful to love, or even ''see'' her, because she would remind him too much of Lucy.
* ''Theatre/{{Urinetown}}: The Musical'' features a few of these, including:
** "Snuff That Girl" a cheerful number about how the resistance is going to get captured eventually, so they might as well off the BigBad's daughter and have some fun. (Fitting, as it's a parody of the gang songs of ''Theatre/WestSideStory.'')
** But even more ironic is the finale, "I See A River." It begins as a cheerful song about the triumph of the poor [[spoiler:until Officer Lockstock comes on stage and reveals that by removing the restrictions on restroom use, the town's water reserves have been exhausted, thus dooming everyone to die of thirst]]. Shortly after this revelation, the song transitions into the RecurringRiff from the first number of the show.
-->'''Officer Lockstock:''' Like I said, Little Sally, it's not a happy musical.
-->'''Little Sally:''' But the music's so happy!
* In the second act of ''Theatre/{{Hair}}'', the cast members act out increasingly violent situations in which everyone is "killed." Afterwards two cast members sing a peppy musical version of Shakespeare's "[[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} What a piece of work is a man]]" speech over the stage strewn with dead bodies.
* In ''Vanities: A New Musical'' (Pasadena Playhouse and ACT versions), the finale ultimo song "Letting Go" is sung during/immediately after Mary's mother's funeral.
* In the final act of Jez Butterworth's ''Jerusalem,'' a sexually abused May Queen orders ex-daredevil and local bad influence Rooster Byron to dance with her. They get interrupted by her stepfather and brothers, who beat Rooster to a pulp inside his trailer, brand him with a poker, and leave him bleeding on the floor. All this is set to Fairport Convention's wistful "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?"
* ''Theatre/JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat'': When Joseph is held down by Mrs. Potiphar's servants while she molests him, a goofy upbeat tune plays that sounds more like it belongs in a carnival.
* The finale of ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'' places a [[TearJerker tearful]] DistantDuet reprise of "For Good" against the Ozians chanting a TriumphantReprise of "No One Mourns The Wicked".
* The finale of the original London production of ''Theatre/MissSaigon'' had mournful music playing over the scene as Kim prepares to say goodbye to her son Tam. This abruptly segues into a reprise of the raucous, upbeat song "American Dream", which culminates in the sound of a gunshot--Kim has fatally wounded herself.
* In Music/LindseyStirling's ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQiNVk_u0po medly]], the only costumes she wears are pretty and innocent dresses in a Hobbiton setting — slightly out of place when the piece moves on to battle themes.
* In a musical adaptation of ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'', the carolers reprise "God Bless Us, Everyone" as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come pushes Scrooge into his grave.
* In ''Theatre/TwiceCharmed'', the dark reprise of "In A Moment" sounds the same as the first one, and ends on a ''triumphant'' note.
* A few in ''Theatre/LesMiserables'':
** "Lovely Ladies" is an upbeat, innuendo-filled about the horrors of prostitution.
** "Master of the House" and its DarkReprise "Beggars at the Feast" both apply; the former is about how the Thenardiers scam their inn's patrons out of their money, and the latter is about how they're both [[KarmaHoudini Karma Houdinis]] who, despite being by ''far'' the worst people in the entire show, they come out of it the best: rich, happy, and alive ([[spoiler:which is a lot better than most of the show's characters can say]]). Both songs are PlayedForLaughs and the happiest, most fun songs in the entire show.
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* In the second act of ''Theatre/{{Hair}}'', the cast members act out increasingly violent situations in which everyone is "killed." Afterwards two cast members sing a peppy musical version of Shakespeare's "[[{{Hamlet}} What a piece of work is a man]]" speech over the stage strewn with dead bodies.

* ''Theatre/{{Urinetown}}: The Musical'' features a few of these, including
** ''Snuff That Girl'' a cheerful number about how the resistance is going to get captured eventually, so they might as well off the BigBad's daughter and have some fun. (Fitting, as it's a parody of the gang songs of Theatre/WestSideStory.)
** But even more ironic is the Finale, ''I See A River''. It begins as a cheerful song about the triumph of the poor, [[spoiler:until Officer Lockstock comes on stage and reveals that by removing the restrictions on restroom use, the towns water reserves have been exhausted, thus dooming everyone to die of thirst.]] Shortly after this revelation, the song transitions into the RecurringRiff from the first number of the show.
** This trope even has a lampshade hung on it by Officer Lockstock and Little Sally in one scene. Lockstock says something to the effect of "This is not a Happy Musical" to which Little Sally responds "But the music is so happy!".

** "Master of the House", and it's DarkReprise "Beggars at the Feast" both apply; the former is about how the Thenardiers scam their inn's patrons out of their money, and the latter is about how they're both [[KarmaHoudini Karma Houdinis]] who, despite being by ''far'' the worst people in the entire show, they come out of it the best: rich, happy, and alive ([[spoiler:which is a lot better than most of the show's characters can say]]). Both songs are PlayedForLaughs and the happiest, most fun songs in the entire show.

* ''{{Cabaret}}'' introduces its upbeat title song immediately following a scene where one of the main characters gets beaten up by Nazis.

** Another example from ''Cabaret'' is "Tomorrow Belongs to Me", the upbeat opener sung by a bunch of young people about how the future's going to be great. Then you realize it's being sung by the Hitler Youth...
*** Done better on stage than the movie. The stage version is a slow, sweet tune; in the production I saw it was sung by an honest to god countertenor. I didn't know the show then, and it was a serious WHAM moment when the "waiters" turned to reveal swastika armbands as they marched off.

* In the second act of ''{{Hair}}'', the cast members act out increasingly violent situations in which everyone is "killed." Afterwards two cast members sing a peppy musical version of Shakespeare's "[[{{Hamlet}} What a piece of work is a man]]" speech over the stage strewn with dead bodies.

* In ''Literature/AChristmasCarol: TheMusical'', the carolers reprise "God Bless Us, Everyone" as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come pushes Scrooge into his grave.

* ''{{Urinetown}}: The Musical'' features a few of these, including

* The finale of the original London production of MissSaigon had mournful music playing over the scene as Kim prepares to say goodbye to her son Tam. This abruptly segues into a reprise of the raucous, upbeat song "American Dream", which culminates in the sound of a gunshot--Kim has fatally wounded herself.

** ''Snuff That Girl'' a cheerful number about how the resistance is going to get captured eventually, so they might as well off the BigBad's daughter and have some fun.

* Most of the score of ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'', whether it's the "Johanna Sequence", where Sweeney sings a tender ballad of paternal love as he slits throats, "God, That's Good", wherein Mrs. Lovett, Toby, and a slew of "satisfied" customers sing about how great the meat pies are, or "A Little Priest," a cheery waltz about Mrs. Lovett's... [[ImAHumanitarian Humanitarian]] ideas.

* In ''AChristmasCarol: TheMusical'', the carolers reprise "God Bless Us, Everyone" as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come pushes Scrooge into his grave.

* In ''Vanities: A New Musical'' (Pasadena Playhouse and ACT versions), the closing EpicRocking song "Letting Go" is sung during/immediately after Mary's mother's funeral.

* In Music/LindseyStirling's ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQiNVk_u0po medly]], the only costumes she wears are pretty and innocent dresses in a Hobbiton setting — slightly out of place when the piece moves on to battle themes.

* In the stage version of WestSideStory, Maria sings "I Feel Pretty" after the rumble scene, and before she finds out Tony killed her brother, and "Gee, Officer Krupke" is also sang after the death of Riff. Both songs were moved to before the rumble in the movie version.

* In ''Vanities: A New Musical'' (Pasadena Playhouse and ACT versions), the closing EpicSong "Letting Go" is sung during/immediately after Mary's mother's funeral.

* The finale of the original London production of MissSaigon had mournful music playing over the scene as Kim prepares to say goodbye to her son Tam. This abruptly segues into a reprise of the raucous, upbeat song "American Dream", which culminates in the sound of a gunshot--Kim has fatally wounded herself.

* The finale of ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'' places a [[TearJerker tearful]] DistantDuet reprise of "For Good" against the Ozians chanting a TriumphantReprise of "No One Mourns The Wicked".

* Most of the score of ''SweeneyTodd'', whether it's the "Johanna Sequence", where Sweeney sings a tender ballad of paternal love as he slits throats, "God, That's Good", wherein Mrs. Lovett, Toby, and a slew of "satisfied" customers sing about how great the meat pies are, or "A Little Priest," a cheery waltz about Mrs. Lovett's... [[ImAHumanitarian Humanitarian]] ideas.

* In the final act of Jez Butterworth's ''Jerusalem,'' a sexually abused May Queen orders ex-daredevil and local bad influence Rooster Byron to dance with her. They get interrupted by her stepfather and brothers, who beat Rooster to a pulp inside his trailer, brand him with a poker, and leave him bleeding on the floor. All this is set to Fairport Convention's wistful "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?"

* In ''Vanities: A New Musical'' (Pasadena Playhouse and ACT versions), the closing EpicSong "Letting Go" is sung during/immediately after Mary's mother's funeral.

* In the second act of ''{{Hair}}'', the cast members act out increasingly violent situations in which everyone is "killed." Afterwards two cast members sing a peppy musical version of Shakespeare's "[[{{Hamlet}} What a piece of work is a man]]" speech over the stage strewn with dead bodies.