It takes two to duet. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best musical theater duets between men.
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the best musical theater duets between
00:12men. Some of these songs reveal plot points from their respective shows so here is a spoiler alert.
00:17Tell them, tell them the truth, tell them boy, tell them how it happened, how the end doesn't mean that it's over.
00:26Number 10. No More. Tick tick boom. This semi-autobiographical musical is about composer
00:31Jonathan Larson's attempts to become a Broadway composer. His fictional counterpart's ongoing
00:36tension between making a living as an artist and making a living at all is summed up perfectly in
00:42No More. No more faulty wiring, no more crooked floors, no more spitting out my ultra bright on
00:51top of dirty dishes in the one and only scene. John's friend Michael left the arts to pursue a more
01:00traditional career and his material life has become much better as a result. The two essentially clown
01:05their way through the song. Though played for laughs, the reality behind it is also pretty
01:19profound. John has to choose his art over living well, which is especially hard when an easier life
01:25seems just within reach. Number 9. I Am The One Reprise. Next to Normal.
01:48We love an emotionally devastating reprise. Throughout Next to Normal, Dan is unable to
01:52relate to his wife's mental health struggles. After losing their son years ago, Diana has become
01:57undone by the grief to the point that she hallucinates their son's spirit. Dan has simply
02:02ignored his grief for too long. Reprising the song he sang to his wife at the end of the first act,
02:13Dan is reduced to tears as he finally confronts their son's death. In the end,
02:17left only with his thoughts, he sees his son for the first time.
02:30Number 8. What You Own, Rent. Near the end of this beloved and tear-jerking musical,
02:42Roger and Mark have to decide what really matters to them. The song lays bare their
02:46disillusionment at living in an uncaring and dispassionate world, concerned only with
02:50materialism, status and money. But this soon turns into something else. What You Own isn't just a
03:07list of complaints, it's two people on the edge of complete hopelessness fighting to find meaning
03:12in what they've lost. Instead, they come away with a new resolve to honor the people they love
03:16through the power of community and art. Number 7. What Would I Do, Falsettos.
03:42Marvin and Whizzer's love story is not without its ups and downs. By the end,
03:52they've found their way back to each other, only for Whizzer to pass away due to an unnamed illness
03:57that's presumably HIV-AIDS. Left alone, Marvin ponders what his life would have been like
04:02without Whizzer. But they get one last chance to sing together when Whizzer's spirit appears
04:18on stage. As much as they lament the future they've been robbed of, they decide together
04:23that if they had to do it over, the pain and the heartache would all be worth it.
04:37Number 6. Pretty Women, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Mixing beautiful music
04:43with thrilling suspense, this duet sees the barber, Sweeney Todd, and Judge Turpin,
04:47the unsuspecting target of his revenge, singing the praises of beautiful women.
04:58The judge has no reason to think they're not on the same page here. All the while,
05:02Todd scrapes ever closer to his mortal enemy's jugular.
05:18The song fakes us out several times, only to tease the coming death even more. As the music
05:25crescendos, we can tell Todd is savoring the moment. The tension builds as they whip themselves
05:30into a musical frenzy. What happens next? Well, we wouldn't want to give it away.
05:44Number 5. The Confrontation, Les Miserables.
06:03Victor Hugo's original novel and the blockbusting musical is about redemption and oppression.
06:08There's no room for Jean Valjean's redemption in the eyes of Inspector Javert,
06:12who has an unwavering faith in an unfair system.
06:26This intense confrontation occurs when Javert finally finds Valjean some ten years after he
06:31fled from justice. As the two talk, or rather sing, past each other, they engage in combat,
06:37and we hear Javert's side of this pursuit. He has seen the worst of human nature,
06:41and believes Valjean's moral transformation is a sham. When done well, it's incredibly explosive.
06:47When played for laughs, it's also incredibly funny and melodramatic.
07:05Number 4. Dear Theodosia, Hamilton.
07:08Placed near the end of the first act, this gentle number is a markedly peaceful moment
07:13in the midst of Hamilton's drama. Composer Lin-Manuel Miranda described it as, quote,
07:17a calm in the storm. For all their political differences, this is the moment Alexander
07:34Hamilton and Aaron Burr are on the same page. Although they don't know it, both become new
07:39fathers in Dear Theodosia, and make promises to their children that lays bare their shared mission.
07:54Though they have different approaches, they want to make America a place where
07:58their children can live happy and prosperous lives. It highlights the tragedy of what will come.
08:04Number 3. Agony, Into The Woods. Stephen Sondheim's famous musical puts an irreverent
08:19and heartbreaking spin on classic fairy tales. One of its greatest and most hilarious moments
08:24is Agony, a duet between two handsome princes desperate to prove they're suffering more to
08:29connect with their respective princesses. The lyrics make them look completely ridiculous and
08:47conceited. They ask themselves what woman could resist a man as charming, handsome,
08:52kind, and humble as they are. As they wax poetic about how unfair it is that they should have to
09:05win these women over, they don't just make us laugh. They also make us wonder how the heroines
09:10of our favorite fairy tales could live happily ever after with these fools.
09:14Agony, that can cut like a knife. I must have her to wife.
09:33Number 2. You and Me, But Mostly Me. The Book of Mormon.
09:45Written and composed by the creators of South Park and Robert Lopez, this irreverent musical
09:50follows Elder Price, a Mormon who starts out as a self-involved missionary. He's scored a
09:55challenging mission to Uganda. His pal Elder Cunningham will also be there. So concerned with
10:00blowing God's mind with how good he's about to spread the word, Price immediately treats Cunningham
10:05like his sidekick in their mission. It's a great comic set piece. You and Me, But Mostly Me lets
10:18its actors play off of each other with ease. Price's grinning narcissism and Cunningham's
10:23panting desire to hang out with him are baked beautifully into the song.
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10:50Number 1. Lily's Eyes, The Secret Garden. Telling the classic story of Mary, a young English girl
10:56sent to live with her mysterious and haunted uncle Archibald, The Secret Garden has a sweeping
11:01and romantic score. Mary's resemblance to her long-dead aunt Lily presents a problem.
11:16Arguably its most famous number, Lily's Eyes sees Archibald and his envious brother Neville
11:21mourning over Lily, who Neville was also in love with. Mary's resemblance brings out their
11:26longing for her. Their tortured memories awaken something different in both of them.
11:38Not only emotionally resonant, the song's climactic harmonies make it a sumptuous and
11:43intense number. Did your favorite duet make the list? Tell us in the comments.
11:56Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo,
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