History Main / MedleyOverture

* The Creator/JohnWilliams-arranged soundtrack for the 1971 movie version of ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'' has a Entr'acte based on "If I Were a Rich Man" (played as a fanfare for its first four bars but continuing with more Klezmer-like sonorities), "To Life," "Miracle of Miracles" and "Sunrise, Sunset."

** The Overture from ''Theatre/{{Iolanthe}}'' (the first Savoy Opera overture Sullivan wrote himself) has a calm introduction that leads into the un-marchlike "Welcome to our hearts again," followed by "He loves!" (ballad), "If we're weak enough to tarry" (A), the refrain from "Oh, foolish fay" (B), and "Henceforth, Strephon, cast away" (coda). The first transition from (A) to (B) also uses a snippet of "Hear me Phyllis, ere you leave me" from the Act I finale.

** The Overture from ''Theatre/TheYeomenOfTheGuard'' is unique among the Savoy overtures in being composed in a single sonata allegro section instead of "march-ballad-A-B-A-B-coda". The opening fanfare draws from "When our gallant Norman foes", then leads by way of "When a wooer goes a-wooing" to the dominant for a blend of "Were I thy bride" and "All frenzied, frenzied with despair they rave". The recapitulation stays in the tonic and re-visits all four melodies plus "Oh! A private buffoon is a light-hearted loon" and, in the coda, a snippet of the Act II finale.

** The Overture from ''Theatre/{{Iolanthe}}'' (the first of Savoy Opera overture Sullivan wrote himself) has a calm introduction that leads into the un-marchlike "Welcome to our hearts again," followed by "He loves!" (ballad), "If we're weak enough to tarry" (A), the refrain from "Oh, foolish fay" (B), and "Henceforth, Strephon, cast away" (coda). The first transition from (A) to (B) also uses a snippet of "Hear me Phyllis, ere you leave me" from the Act I finale.

** The Overture from ''Theatre/{{Iolanthe}}'' (the first of the Savoy Opera overtures Sullivan wrote himself) has a calm introduction that leads into the un-marchlike "Welcome to our hearts again," followed by "He loves!" (ballad), "If we're weak enough to tarry" (A), the refrain from "Oh, foolish fay" (B), and "Henceforth, Strephon, cast away" (coda). The first transition from (A) to (B) also uses a snippet of "Hear me Phyllis, ere you leave me" from the Act I finale.

** The Overture from ''Theatre/{{Iolanthe}}'' has a calm introduction that leads into the un-marchlike "Welcome to our hearts again," followed by "He loves!" (ballad), "If we're weak enough to tarry" (A), the refrain from "Oh, foolish fay" (B), and "Henceforth, Strephon, cast away" (coda). The first transition from (A) to (B) also uses a snippet of "Hear me Phyllis, ere you leave me" from the Act I finale.

* Creator/GilbertAndSullivan shows tended to use the older style of overture, though Arthur Sullivan assigned the writing of most of them to his assistants:

** The Overture from ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'' (arranged by Alfred Cellier) uses "With catlike tread" (march), "Ah, leave me not to pine" (ballad), "Here's a first-rate opportunity" (A), the refrain from "Climbing over rocky mountain" and "When you had left our pirate fold" (B), with "With catlike tread" returning for the the coda.

** The Overture from ''Theatre/{{Iolanthe}}'' has a calm introduction that leads into the un-marchlike "Welcome to our hearts again," followed by "He loves!" (ballad), "If we're weak enough to tarry" (A), the refrain from "Oh, foolish fay" (B), and "Henceforth, Strephon, cast away" (coda).

** The Overture begins with an introductori fanfare with rushing scales, bells, and the principal motif of "The Sound Of Money." This leads into a medley based on portions of "Momma, Momma," "Who Knows," "Ballad Of The Garment Trade" (as a transition), "Have I Told You Lately?", "The Sound Of Money" (another transition, this one in [[UncommonTime 5/4]]) and finally a very soft and mournful version of "What Are They Doing To Us Now?" as the curtain opens.

* ''TheWall'' had "The Last Few Bricks" on the tours. It was "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 3)" followed by a medley of "Brick (Part 2)," "Young Lust," and finally "Empty Spaces." It was a few minutes of filler while the road crew scrambled to fill in any remaining bricks at the top and in the middle, until one last space remained.

* ''Babes in Arms'':

** The Overture to ''The King and I'' (or ''[[GratuitousFrench Le Roi et Moi]]'', as Robert Russell Bennett's orchestral manuscript calls it) begins with bold open fifths and gamelan-like scales, which eventually yield to a solemn transitional passage based on "Something Wonderful," a full chorus of which follows. The tempo immediately brightens for "I Whistle A Happy Tune," which is followed by "I Have Dreamed" and "Hello, Young Lovers."

* ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' doesn't have an overture (it had an animated prologue humorously detailing the making of a bar of chocolate instead, but that was cut with the show's first cast turnover in 2014, so it now starts "cold"), but it does have an Entr'acte featuring the show's three most uptempo numbers: "The Amazing Fantastical History of Mr. Willy Wonka", "Don'cha Pinch Me Charlie", and "A Little Me". The last serves as the aforementioned exuberantly fast coda, owing in part to [[MediumAwareness the conductor turning out to be Willy Wonka]], who's in a hurry to get the tour of his factory started.

* ''That's Entertainment!'' has an overture of songs from various MGM musicals; they are [[Film/MeetMeInStLouis "The Trolley Song"]], [[Film/TheWizardOfOz "Over the Rainbow"]], [[Film/{{Lili}} "Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo"]], "Film/SinginInTheRain". [[Film/SanFrancisco "San Francisco"]] and "That's Entertainment".

It was almost mandatory for Broadway musicals without an OpeningBallet to begin with an overture until the 1960s, as their song-plugging function became obsolete and directors began to demand that shows go straight into their opening scenes (as ''Theatre/HelloDolly'', ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'' and ''Theatre/{{Cabaret}}'' did) without orchestral delay; British imports such as ''Theatre/{{Oliver}}'' also were doing well enough without proper overtures. Revivals of older musicals now often cut down or eliminate the overtures, especially since theatre orchestras have been reduced in size.

* Film/{{Xanadu}} does this during the extended LogoJoke that leads into the movie's title.
* Film/TheWizardOfOz does during the opening credits sequence.

* Film/TheizardOfOz does during the opening credits sequence.