Musical Theatre Duets!

Isn’t it wonderful to sing… a duet?
I have always loved it, and yesterday, I had a wonderful young musical theatre bariton and his mother come to lesson. We had a lot of fun and even decided we could sing the Vaccai exercises, that were familiar to the mother, as a duet by voicing the melody! (learn more about why Vaccai is such a great method here)

Before working on a piece with my students, I work on technique with vocal exercises to practise breath, sound and resonance. The great thing about working with two students at a time, is that you get to voice the notes and we can even sing chords together, like a minor, major, diminished, augmented, or sus-chord. You can sing sevenths and leave the fifth or third out, and even add extentions like 9 or 13 for a major chord or an 11 for a minor chord. These exercises are a wonderful way to build a bridge from the other exercises like arpeggio’s and runs, to the duet!

Why is Singing Duets Such a Joyful Experience?

Musical theatre duets have always been popular for vocalists for several reasons. First, singing together creates a sense of unity and harmony between the two singers, which can be emotionally resonant and pleasing to the ear. It also allows for a greater range of vocal expression, as the singers can play off of each other and create different textures and dynamics in their voices.

Additionally, musical theatre duets often involve a narrative or emotional context that lends itself well to the format. Many musicals feature duets between two characters who are expressing their feelings for each other or working together to overcome a challenge, and the music and lyrics of the duet can help to convey the depth and complexity of those emotions.

Finally, there is a sense of joy and camaraderie that comes from singing with another person. Performing a duet can be a deeply satisfying and rewarding experience, as the two singers work together to create something beautiful and meaningful. This can be especially true in musical theatre, where the collaborative nature of the art form is often emphasized and celebrated.

Overall, musical theatre duets are popular for vocalists because they offer a unique opportunity for emotional expression, vocal range, and collaboration, all of which can be deeply rewarding and enjoyable for both performers and audiences alike.

For your inspiration, here are some examples of musical theatre duets. Enjoy!

Musical Theater Duets for a Man and a Woman

• You’re the Top from Anything Goes
• All I Ask of You from The Phantom of the Opera
• How Could I Ever Know from the Secret Garden
• People Will Say We’re in Love from Oklahoma!
• A Whole New World from Aladdin
• So In Love from Kiss Me Kate
• As Long as You’re Mine from Wicked
• Sun and Moon from Miss Saigon
• Nothings Gonna Harm You- Sweeney Todd
• We Kiss In The Shadow – The Kind And I
• Come What May- Moulin Rouge
• One Hand – One Heart – West Side Story
• Tonight – West Side Story
• Seventeen- Heathers
• Make Believe- Show Boat
• Something to Believe In- Newsies
• Beneath A Moonless Sky- Love Never Dies
• Do You Love Me?- Fiddler on the Roof
• Timeless to Me- Hairspray
• The Last Night Of The World – Miss Saigon
• If I Loved You- Carousel
• Say It Somehow- The Light in the Piazza
• Falling Slowly- Once the Musical
• The Next Ten Minutes- The Last Five Years
• In My Life- Les Misérables
• How Long?- Hadestown
• Sunrise- In the Heights
• Afternoon- Alice By Heart (I learned about this duet very recently!)
• What You Mean to Me- Finding Neverland
• In a Crowd of Thousands- Anastasia
• Written in the Stars- Aida
• If I Told You- The Wedding Singer
• A Girl in the Valley- The Secret Garden
• Unworthy of Your Love- Assassins
• Beauty and the Beast – Beauty and the Beast
• You Shine- Carrie the Musical
• People Will Say We’re in Love- Oklahoma!
• Tonight- West Side Story (LOVE.)
• Past the Point of No Return- Phantom of the Opera
• Suddenly Seymour- Little Shop of Horrors
• Notice Me Horton- Seussical
• First Date/Last Night- Dogfight
• Beautiful Sound- Beetlejuice
• We Go Together- Grease
• A Cautionary Tale- Mean Girls
• Too Late to Turn Back- Bonnie & Clyde
• Anything You Can Do- Annie Get Your Gun
• Easy Street- Annie (This duet is a sleazy showstopper.)
• Crazier Than You- The Addams Family
• Master of the House- Les Miserables
• You’re Just in Love- Call Me Madam
• Picture Show- Bonnie & Clyde
• Time Stops- Big Fish
• This World Will Remember Us- Bonnie & Clyde
• Superboy and the Invisible Girl- Next to Normal
• Don’t Do Sadness/Blue Wind- Spring Awakening
• A Little Priest- Sweeney Todd
• Wedding Song- Hadestown
• Damn it, Janet- Rocky Horror Picture Show
• 16, Going on 17 from the Sound of Music

Musical Theatre Duets For Two Women

• I Still Believe – Miss Saigon
• The Movie In My Mind – Miss Saigon
• What Is This Feeling? from Wicked
• I’d Give My Life For You  Miss Saigon
• Apex Predator- Mean Girls
• Stepsisters Lament- Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella
• Class- Chicago
• Freedom- The Unauthorized Biography of Samantha Brown
• Bosom Buddies from Mame
• For Good from Wicked
• Sisters from White Christmas
• If Momma Was Married from Gypsy
• What is This Feeling from Wicked
• Defying Gravity from Wicked
• We Share Everything from Disney’s Frozen
• I Know Him So Well from Chess
• My Strongest Suit from Aida
• Marry the Man Today from Guys and Dolls
• Does Anybody Have a Map- from Dear Evan Hanson
• First Time in Forever Reprise from Frozen the Musical
• If Momma Was Married- Gypsy
• Sisters- White Christmas
• No Reason- Beetlejuice
• Take Me or Leave Me from Rent
• Getting Married Today from Company
• You Love Who You Love from Bonnie & Clyde
• For Good from Wicked
• A Boy Like That- West Side Story
• In His Eyes- Jekyll and Hyde
• Some Things Are Meant to Be- Little Women
• That Horrible Woman- A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
• Any Day- The Three Musketeers
• A Very Nice Prince from the Woods- Into The Woods
• When You Believe- The Prince of Egypt
• I Know Him So Well- Chess

Musical Theatre Duets For Two Men

• Side by Side by Side from Company
• Devil Take the Hindmost from Love Never Dies
• Sincerely Me from Dear Evan Hanson
• Lily’s Eyes from The Secret Garden
• Confrontation from Les Misérables
• Boys from Glory Days
• Gabriel’s Letter from The Kiss of the Spider Woman
• The Proposal from Titanic
• Muppet or a Man? from The Muppet Movie
• Love Don’t Need a Reason from The Boy From Oz
• All for the Best from Godspell
• You’re Nothing Without Me from A Little Night Music
• Muddy Water- from Big River
• Agony from Into the Woods
• You Can Do Better Than Him from Bonnie & Clyde
• Dear Theodosia from Hamilton
• Dirty Rotten Scoundrels from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
• If You Were Wondering from The Boy From Oz
• Worlds Apart from Big River