The Art of Ending Things
How great entertainment sticks the landing.
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But that is incorrect.
They cover the spectrum of human emotion and energy.
Sometimes they encompass a reprise or encore, although they dont have to.
These endings are usually poignant, sometimes bittersweet or devastating, often haunting.
When pulled off, they send a chill down your spine.
A ton of musicals employ this ending, and it basically works every time always.
Wicked,for all its blockbuster flash, is grounded by this framing machine.
Into the Woodsis another fantastic example of this.
To see the characters youthful hopefulness in light of what we know is going to befall them just devastates.
Fuck It, Lets Have a Dance Party!
These endings can be seen as lowbrow or base, but theyre euphoric.
Theyre pure, gleeful, dorky abandon.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoatends with that most divine of Broadway finale formats, the megamix.
The act of running through the greatest hits of the show youjuststaged is such a flex.
It immediately memorializesJosephas one of the great pop Broadway scores.
Its a party celebrating itself.
Its the best thing Andrew Lloyd Webber has ever done.
And its adorable to see the childrens choir (a staple of mostJosephproductions) up there having fun.
Same goes for the dance-party ending ofHairspray.
Mamma Mia!is this sections requisite jukebox-musical entry, because its the subgenre where dance-party endings truly thrive.
But there is one more smaller genus of musical ending that Id be remiss to ignore.
Its the kind where a vehicle whisks our main characters away directly into the sun.
They beg to be perceived, but not understood.
