Everyone loves that part in a musical where the couple finally sings a duet, stares at each other for a dramatic second and then proceeds to kiss, possibly to the sound of some dramatic, happy music in the background. Of course, there are always small differences, but it’s safe to say that a similar scene exists in every single musical ever, or at least – in all of the golden age classics.
That’s all great, and the power of a good love duet is undeniable, but people often forget about a different kind of duet that’s only been around since the 1950s or so. I’m talking about female duets: About girls getting to sing together as sisters, and mothers and daughters, and friends, and enemies, and you-name-it. Before the 50s, women rarely got any significant stage time alone, with no guys around, which is yet another reason why today, we should celebrate the fact that female relationships have become just as important in musicals as the typical, expected love stories!
In a show, two women could end up singing together for many different reasons: they could be fighting or supporting each other, gossiping or just discussing their lives. In order to appreciate the power of that kind of connection between female characters, I’ve compiled a list of ten songs, both classics and contemporary favorites, that perfectly show how lovely and important female duets can be!
(And besides, any girl who has a best friend will agree that nothing’s better than belting dramatic renditions of random duets… am I right?)
1. “You’re a Queer One, Julie Jordan” (Carousel)
A very early, and kind of simple female duet, “You’re a Queer One, Julie Jordan” shows something that feels familiar for most girls. Essentially, the song is all about Carrie noticing that Julie’s been different lately: distracted, quiet, (possibly in love?!), so she tries to get her to talk to her about it. While the song is primarily Carrie observing Julie, Julie’s remarks are just as relevant – she aims to get her friend to stop prying and trying to gossip about her (potential) love life. One could argue that the song is mostly Carrie’s solo, but Julie’s short interjections establish their relationship. In any case, “You’re a Queer One…” is an important song because it’s one of the very first duets between girls, and things only get better from there.
2. “Marry The Man Today” (Guys & Dolls)
“Marry The Man Today” is always regarded as one of the first significant female duets. As it often happens in musicals, Sarah and Adelaide are complete opposites when it comes to all of their beliefs and their lifestyles, but they end up coming together as they sing about their problems with their respectful significant others. The song sees Sarah and Adelaide grow closer as, despite their differences, they end up joking together in clever rhymes and hilarious lines. While they do sing about guys, there is nothing romantic about the duet: instead, it’s all about two women sharing their experiences, and very obviously enjoying each other’s company as they do so.
3. “A Boy Like That / I Have a Love” (West Side Story)
Both of the previous duets on the list are, in one way or another, gossip songs. They’re about friends connecting with each other, singing about guys, and generally being happy about their love lives. “A Boy Like That / I Have a Love” is drastically different. Here, Anita is angry. Her opinion clashes with Maria’s and they both, with equal conviction, basically attempt to out-sing each other as they try to get their points across. Their voices clash and they both struggle to be heard: Maria is simply in love, and Anita is opposed to her choices because of all of the reasons she fiercely expresses in the song. When the song transitions from “A Boy Like That” into “I Have a Love,” their anger seems to subside and the fight becomes a reconciliation. While they still disagree each other, they listen to each other, and a lesson ultimately gets learned. Even musically, Maria and Anita come together by the end of “I Have a Love,” and finish the song on the same note, just an octave apart.
4. “I Know Him So Well” (Chess)
“I Know Him So Well” has become one of those songs that very much exists outside the show it comes from: people sing it at performances and recitals, and it has a life of its own, not necessarily connected to the context of Chess. What makes it an interesting female duet, however, is exactly its context. In most duets, when women sing about men, it’s usually each one of them singing about a different man and sharing her feelings with the other woman. In “I Know Him So Well,” however, Svetlana and Florence are singing about the same man, and that makes their connection different, and fascinating. What is supposed to be a confrontation between the two women becomes a moment of bonding for them as they both share and express their feelings for Anatoly. The relationship between the two women is complicated but the outcome of the tension between them is unexpected, as “I Know Him So Well” ends up becoming a shared moment of sincerity and connection between the two.
5. “Take Me or Leave Me” (Rent)
Most of the other duets on the list are about romance in a different way, about women fighting or connecting because of their feelings for men. “Take Me or Leave Me” is simply a love quarrel between two women. In a way, Joanne and Maureen also follow that classic musical theatre model where the two women in a duet are somehow opposites, and that’s what brings them to a clash and initiates their singing together. Their duet is so important, however, because it plays a double part: it’s both a female duet, and a love duet, which makes it significant and innovative in many ways. To this day, “Take Me or Leave Me” remains the only popular female duet in a musical that features a lesbian couple. That gives the duet a lot of significance and establishes its place as an important turn in the tradition of women singing duets in musical theatre. “Take Me or Leave Me” opens a door for a whole new range of female duets, and I think it’s a matter of time till we see the next great duet that will follow that path.
6. “For Good” (Wicked)
In a way, “For Good” is probably the most important female duet in contemporary musical theater. It is the ultimate celebration of Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship, but it exposes both the good sides and the bad sides of that friendship. Most relationships come with that moment where you just have to let go. “For Good” has become a contemporary classic when it comes to songs that express how important friendships are, even when they do come to an end. There is nothing bitter about the two women parting ways: on the contrary, the entire duet is their realizing how important they are to each other, and how much value their relationship has. Ultimately, “For Good” is about a friendship that saves both characters, changes them, and teaches them lessons even when it ends. While it’s a heartbreaking duet, it is joyful at the same time. Glinda and Elphaba express their appreciation for each other, their love, and the incredible influence they have had on each other’s lives.
7. “Secondary Characters” ([title of show])
“Secondary Characters” is one of my two contemporary examples of why “Marry The Man Today” is considered to be one of the most significant female duets. At first, it’s probably hard to notice any similarities between the two songs, since “Secondary Characters” is not even remotely romantic, and no one is singing about marriage. The parallel, however, comes from the circumstances in which the song happens. Susan and Heidi, just like Sarah and Adelaide, barely know each other, and prior to the song, they don’t even like each other that much. It is in the absence of guys on stage that they come together and use that absence as a starting point of their “taking over” the stage. Once again, the song shows them growing closer through shared jokes and hilarious pop culture references. They even directly address the purpose of their duet: by the end of the song, they’re practically each other’s best friends. (Well… sort of.)
8. Wish I Were Here (Next to Normal)
“Wish I Were Here” opens the door for discussions about a whole different kind of female relationship: that between mothers and daughters. So far in the list, women have been connected in different ways, but none of them share the bond that mothers and daughters have. Diana and Natalie’s relationship is interesting to explore through their duet because there’s nothing idyllic about it. Through their desperate race to sing over each other, and harmonize with each other, and barely listen to each other, they display the very real, very disturbed family dynamic of the Goodmans. “Wish I Were Here” is the first time the two women sing a duet together and while broken and utterly dysfunctional, this is their first attempt at connecting and hearing each other out. When Natalie and Diana sing a duet, it’s not all about “it’s great to have an awesome Mom!!!”, on the contrary: it’s about their struggle to be heard, understood, and saved. But they share that struggle and, in a strange way, their duet still manages to bring them together.
9. You Love Who You Love (Bonnie & Clyde)
Yes. Yes, Bonnie & Clyde is on the list. “You Love Who You Love” is actually the second example of the lasting influence that Guys and Dolls has had on female duets in musicals. In Bonnie & Clyde, Blanche and Bonnie fulfill the trope of two women who are polar opposites bonding because of their love for their men, in that case – the Barrow brothers. Like Sarah in Guys and Dolls, Blanche is religious and dreams of a quiet, peaceful life, while Bonnie is an adventurer who dreams of becoming a performer (…like Adelaide. You see?) Throughout the show, the two women’s views clash and they directly confront each other, but their duet is a moment of bonding, they become each other’s partners and support each other, because they can connect through their struggle. There is only one way in which “You Love Who You Love” is drastically different from “Marry The Man Today”: Sarah and Adelaide dream of marriage and, albeit jokingly, plan on changing their husbands’ ways at some point, while Bonnie and Blanche sing about the opposite: the thing that unites the two women is their complete and utter acceptance of their loved ones.
10. Freedom (The Unauthorized Biography of Samantha Brown)
A lot like “For Good”, “Freedom” is an extremely important duet for girls just because it’s all about friendship and nothing else. No one ever mentions guys, romance is not even remotely involved in the song, and it’s all about two friends talking about the joys of… well. Simply being friends. It’s a song about road trips and being free, and young, and with your best friend, and ultimately, that’s all a really good duet needs. Samantha and Kelly talk between the verses, arguing and teasing each other in a way that only best friends do. To me, “Freedom” is a really important contemporary duet for two young women just because it puts their friendship above everything else, and – even through the girls’ spoken banter – celebrates that special connection that they share. Sometimes, drama and sadness are vital for a good song. Sometimes, you just need a good love story.
But more often than not, there’s nothing better than a song that you can blast with your best friend, and sing along till you forget about everything else. Now, for me, that’s freedom.