All I Want, 10/1/16

Director Bob Fosse categorized many songs from musicals as “I want” songs. According to him, generally early in the first act, the main character announces what's most important to him or her through  an “I want” song. Then, in most cases, the musical’s direction is to follow this character on his or her journey towards the fulfillment (or non-fulfillment) of that goal.  I Want Songs are useless if poorly written. The purpose of the song is to establish the protagonist’s motivation. Aladdin wants to make his mother proud, the Phantom needs Christine to make his song take flight, Quasimodo yearns to live like ordinary men, and Ariel wants to be part of our world. These are specific, solid desires that the characters know are within the realm of possibility. If, however, the I Want Song expresses a vague yearning for change, it can be ineffective and render the song pointless. In fact, without a clear objective, the audience may miss the fact that it is an I Want Song at all. Join host Robert Hammond as he features “I want” songs from Broadway past and present.