Genuinely Roaring Twenties: 22 Male-Female Duet Ideas From The Jazz Age

Written by Jackson Upperco

May 15, 2017

Put some authentic Roaring ‘20s in your repertoire – starting with this collection of opposite sex duet suggestions for audition and study from Musical Theatre’s Jazz Age. All of the selections below, chosen by a self-proclaimed expert on the scores of this era, are guaranteed to put you in the mind and flavor – the real mind and flavor – of this iconic decade. From classic entries in the Great American Songbook to jazzy (seldom sung) gems waiting to be rediscovered, this EXCLUSIVE list is one to be studied and bookmarked!

1. “Blue Danube Blues” from Good Morning, Dearie (1921)



Pairing “The Blue Danube” Waltz with a deliciously hot Jerome Kern melody to be sung in counterpoint, this duet for a romantically linked society chap and tailor’s assistant mixes European and American sounds – the perfect embodiment of musical theatre in the early 1920s.

2. “Pack Up Your Sins And Go To The Devil” from The Music Box Revue of 1922



Another counterpoint number, this one comes courtesy of Irving Berlin, who helped foster Broadway’s adoption of ragtime, which would evolve into jazz. Originally sung in a musical revue by two sisters, this piece is ideal for any two people at all – it’s sexy, rebellious, and most importantly, hot.

3. “You Can’t Make Love By Wireless” from The Beauty Prize (1923)



A rich American beauty contest winner with romance troubles laments to her estranged lover’s assistant that, for all the wonders of technology, you still “can’t make love by wireless.” This is a cute Jerome Kern ditty (written for a West End musical) that’s very of its decade.

4. “Berkeley Square And Kew” from Primrose (1924)



The Gershwins also hopped the pond to compose the score for this British musical about two people promised to one another in marriage, even though their hearts are both elsewhere. In this number, they decide the only way to make the union work is to live apart. How modern!

5. “Manhattan” from The Garrick Gaieties (1925)



Rodgers and Hart (before the former linked up with Hammerstein) first caught acclaim when they crafted the score for this witty, youthful musical revue. This charming duet, the most famous number from the ’25 edition, was a valentine to the isle they all loved, Manhattan.

Get the sheet music here.

6. “You Can Dance With Any Girl At All” from No, No Nanette (1925)



The wife of a lawyer insists to her husband that she doesn’t mind if he flirts with other women – as long as he comes home to her. This scintillating character number from one of the decade’s most popular hits boasts terrific lyrics by Caesar and Harbach, with a jaunty Youmans melody.

7. “Here In My Arms” from Dearest Enemy (1925)



Based on a true story, this musical centered on a woman who detained the British army during a crucial moment in the American Revolution. In this number, by Rodgers and Hart, her niece is falling for a British captain. One of the most romantic tunes of the decade.

Get the sheet music here.

8. “Who?” from Sunny (1925)



Another Jerome Kern delight, this playful love song was co-introduced by Ziegfeld’s legendary Marilyn Miller, playing a circus performer who’s fallen for a visiting American. Fun, lighthearted and palpably cute, this is a quintessential ‘20s tune.

Get the sheet music here.

9. “A Little Bungalow” from The Cocoanuts (1925)



Best remembered as a vehicle for the Marx Brothers (which they brought to the screen following the introduction of sound), this jovial Irving Berlin score, set in sunny Florida, included many delights – chief of which is this unassuming duet for the primary lovers.

10. “I’d Rather Charleston” from the 1926 London Production of Lady, Be Good! (1924)



Fred and Adele Astaire played a pair of homeless dancer siblings in this Gershwin spectacular that housed an embarrassment of melodic riches. This obviously ‘20s duet was added to the show for its London mounting, opening with the same starry duo after the Broadway run.

11. “Bounce Me” from Kitty’s Kisses (1926)



If not for a recent studio recording that revealed this Con Conrad/Gus Kahn score in all its joyous glory, this number would still be languishing in obscurity. The tune, for a secondary couple, shows just how silly and bouncy even this decade’s nearly-forgotten “B” shows were.

12. “Do, Do, Do” from Oh, Kay! (1926)



This Gershwin classic was added to the jukebox musical Nice Work If You Can Get It, which used Oh, Kay!’s basic plot, but took considerable liberties. In the original, this number was sung by a rich playboy and lady bootlegger who pretend to be married in front of a suspicious revenue officer.

Get the sheet music here.

13. “Thou Swell” from A Connecticut Yankee (1927)



Rodgers and Hart’s frothy musical telling of Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (about a contemporary man who finds himself, literally, in King Arthur’s Court) allowed the erudite duo to mash-up ‘20s slang and Arthurian English. The score’s finest.

Get the sheet music here.

14. “Funny Face” from Funny Face (1927)



The Astaire siblings once again introduced an original Gershwin score in Funny Face, where he played her adoptive legal guardian. The exuberant title tune is teeming with joy, as this quasi-brother and sister extoll (well, kinda…) each other’s funny faces. Adorable.

15. “Make Believe” from Show Boat (1927)



Probably the most important musical of the decade, Kern and Hammerstein’s masterwork put in motion the trend towards integrated song and story (actualized less than 16 years later in Oklahoma!). This gorgeous “meet-cute” features a gambler and the captain’s daughter “pretending” to be in love.

Get the sheet music here.

16. “Wanting You” from The New Moon (1928)



One of the big Broadway genres of the 1920s was operetta, essentially light opera. This is among the best, and this number, between an exiled French aristocrat-turned-revolutionary and the daughter of a New Orleans shipbuilder, is an allayed example of this style.

Get the sheet music here.

17. “Let’s Do It” from Paris (1928)



Cole Porter would become famous for his “list songs” and this eventual entry to the Great American Songbook is one of his first. Introduced in Paris by a French theatrical duo, this famed gem details all the various peoples and things that “do it” – that is, fall in love. (Wink.)

Get the sheet music here.

18. “You’re The Cream In My Coffee” from Hold Everything (1928)



The songwriting trio of DeSylva, Brown, and Henderson were known for their sporty and youth-oriented late ‘20s hits. Hold Everything was concerned with the world of athletic boxing, and this charming duet for the principle couple has become a staple of ‘20s cuteness.

Get the sheet music here.

19. “I’ve Got A Crush On You” from Treasure Girl (1928)



This Gershwin musical comedy about a gold-digger stranded on an island while hunting for buried treasure never found an audience. Many blamed the book for the score, which includes gems like this perky duet for the secondary couple. Is sublime.

Get the sheet music here.

20. “I Like You As You Are” from Rainbow (1928)



Ambitioning to move beyond merely amiable fare like No, No Nanette, this was Vincent Youmans’ attempt at reaching the integrated dramatics found in Show Boat. Set during the California Gold rush, the score’s quirky duet for a captain and his colonel’s daughter is one of its lightest.

21. “Button Up Your Overcoat” from Follow Thru (1929)



Another DeSylva-Brown-Henderson specialty, this tune comes from a show centered around a country club golf match. Along with their other number featured above, this is a staple of ’20s cuteness, as a pair of young lovers urge each other to “take good care of yourself – you belong to me!”

Get the sheet music here.

22. “I’m A One-Man Girl” from Mr. Cinders (1929)



Although this quaint British musical comedy about a male Cinderella (with a wicked stepmom) has never made its way to the Great White Way, it’s packed with period delicacies, like this duet for the protagonist and the neighboring American heiress, for whom he soon falls.


For more information on the scores and composers of this era, visit the author’s blog jacksonupperco.com.


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Jackson Upperco is a lover of retro television, forgotten Broadway musicals, and Pre-Code Hollywood. He boasts a Bachelors Degree in Film and Television from Boston University. You can keep up with all of his entertainment interests at jacksonupperco.com.