We all have our favorite opening numbers. Let’s talk our favorite closing numbers.

Oscar Hammerstein is attributed to having said “If you have a great opening number, your audience will stay with you even if you spend the rest of the show reading the phone book.”

And (if it’s true he said that) he’s not wrong. A great opening number can make or break a show. But I actually have a different test. And that is: how good is the closing song?

There’s the whole thing of “saving the best for last”, of course. But it should also be the closure and emotional payoff. We spent 2 plus hours with these characters fighting for what they want and either getting it or losing everything. It should be the recap, the final breath, the end.

I think my favorite closing song is “Epilogue” from Les Miserables. Valjean is dying and it looks like he might be alone. Fortunately, Cosette and Marius show up to be with him. He gives Cosette the letter about her mother and after the message is sung (to love another person is to see the face of God) we get the triumphant reprise of “Do You Hear The People Sing?” Every time I see the show, I’m almost always in tears.

So let’s hear your thoughts: what is the best closing number of a show and why is it your favorite?