There’s an adage in the musical theater about when it’s time for a song and when it’s time for a dance. Authorship of the saying is unknown.
     
“When you don’t have the words to speak anymore, then you sing” was said by Laura Benanti in Playbill on May 11, 1999. “‘that’s how musicals work. when you’re too emotional to talk, you sing. when you’re too emotional to sing, you dance’ where’s that clip of laura benanti saying basically this & then ‘if you can’t do either, you become a hollywood star and then win a tony award’” was posted on Twitter by maya on September 10, 2022.
   
“In a musical, characters speak and sing and mean what they say and we take this as real. We’re willing to suspend disbelief because of that old axiom, that when emotions become too great for mere words to do, characters sing” was posted on the newsgroup rec.arts.theatre.musicals on January 1, 2010. “When emotions become to strong for words we sing , when it becomes to strong to sing we dance” was posted on Twitter by Heather Garrigan on February 5, 2011. “When emotions become too strong for words, you sing, when it becomes too strong for song, you dance” was posted on Twitter by nimskie on August 1, 2019. “HONEY! when you’re too emotional to speak, you SING! and when you feel to emotional to sing, you DANCE! this is just the backbone of how musicals work!!” was posted on Twitter by ✨⚡️em⚡️✨ on July 21, 2020.
   
“You’re in a musical. That’s how musicals work. When you’re too emotional to talk, you sing. When you’re too emotional to sing, you dance” was said by Melissa Gimble (played by the actress Cecily Strong) on the American musical comedy television series Schmigadoon!, on the episode “Suddenly” that originally aired on July 30, 2021. “What is the meaning of true love? Schmigadoon! explores the answer through the absurd story tropes of American musicals. When emotions are so strong you can’t speak, you sing. When you can’t sing, you dance” was posted on Twitter by Two Boobs Watch the Tube on December 10, 2021.
 
   
Playbill 
PLAYBILL ON-LINE’S BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Laura Benanti
BY DAVID LEFKOWITZ
MAY 11, 1999
(...)
LB: To listen to? (...) And I have to say Skip Kennon [lyrics-music for Time & Again].. his music is just… so moving on so many levels. It can be chilling and exciting—and absolutely breaks your heart. When you don’t have the words to speak anymore, then you sing. There’s something so incredibly beautiful about that.
       
Google Groups: rec.arts.theatre.musicals
Nine
Robert Bouton
Jan 1, 2010, 2:10:01 PM
(...)
Much has been made of Marshall’s inability to accept the convention that, in a musical, characters speak and sing and mean what they say and we take this as real. We’re willing to suspend disbelief because of that old axiom, that when emotions become too great for mere words to do, characters sing.
 
Twitter
Heather Garrigan
@RoguePrincess22
When emotions become to strong for words we sing , when it becomes to strong to sing we dance ...
9:11 AM · Feb 5, 2011
   
1 February 2012, NPR, “The Producers Behind NBC’s Musical ‘Smash’,” Fresh Air:
DAVID BIANCULLI: Why, whether it’s on Broadway or on television, or in the movies, why do musicals still matter?
 
NEIL MERON: You know, there is a reason, you know, that was given for why people sing in musicals. And that reason is when emotions get so great you can no longer talk, you sing. So I think it is about that heightened emotion that is translated, and it is just that joy of the release of a song. And music heals. Music does a lot of things to people. And when it’s done in the context of a dramatic story, it’s even better.
 
Twitter
nimskie
@NOTnimskie
When emotions become too strong for words, you sing, when it becomes too strong for song, you dance
9:23 AM · Aug 1, 2019
     
Twitter
✨⚡️em⚡️✨
@raisedbrows
Replying to @raisedbrows and @lychuwu
HONEY! when you’re too emotional to speak, you SING! and when you feel to emotional to sing, you DANCE! this is just the backbone of how musicals work!!
1:03 AM · Jul 21, 2020
 
Twitter
wind escaped him
@baddykewrites
I’m watching this YouTube video where the creator is talking about how music is used in musical theater and it follows this pattern of talk>sing>dance where you talk til the emotions are so intense that you have to sing and then when things get MORE intense, they dance.
9:18 PM · Jul 30, 2020
 
MetaFilter
Five Flops in Five Days
August 15, 2020 12:07 PM
(...)
COMMENTS
In musical theatre, when emotions are too much for words you sing, and when they are too intense for song you dance. Be advised that I am currently dancing at you.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 3:42 PM on August 15, 2020
         
Twittter 
John Morse
@TheMayorMaximus
They say I theater when it is too emotional to speak you sing and when it’s to emotional to sing you dance. Well today is the anniversary of Margaret Thatcher dying, and it’s a very serious thing to think about, it’s just too much for words
1:15 PM · Apr 8, 2021
 
TV Fanatic
IMDb.com
Episode:  Schmigadoon! Season 1 Episode 4: “Suddenly”
Show:  Schmigadoon!
Related Quotes:  Schmigadoon! Season 1 Episode 4 Quotes, Schmigadoon! Quotes
Related Post:  Schmigadoon! Season Finale Review: Changed For Good
Added by:  Diana Keng
Added:  July 27, 2021
Melissa: You’re in a musical. That’s how musicals work. When you’re too emotional to talk, you sing. When you’re too emotional to sing, you dance.
Josh: What happens when you’re too emotional to dance? Does it loop back around to talking? Cause I feel like that’s where I’m at right now.
 
Twitter
Не до гедонизма!
@AmionWend
Musicals
When you too emotional to talk - you sing.
When you too emotional to sing - you dance.
Thank you G-d!
7:41 PM · Aug 19, 2021
 
Twitter     
vendilion 2 confessions of a clique baby
@threshette
actually, @ any followers out there, do you know some quote that goes along the lines of
“when emotions become too big for dialogue, they sing, and when they become too big for singing, they dance”
7:53 AM · Sep 2, 2021
 
Twitter
schmigadoon script
@schmigabot
Josh, you’re in a musical. That’s how musicals work. When you’re too emotional to talk, you sing. When you’re too emotional to sing, you dance.
10:40 PM · Sep 2, 2021
     
Twitter
Claire Ramsey
@ClaireKelly77
Replying to @BrockKeeling
I feel like this seat deserves a song in musical. When you’re too emotional to talk, you sing.
8:34 PM · Sep 23, 2021
 
Twitter
Gotham Ghostwriters
@GothamGhosts
No better way to remember Stephen Sondheim’s genius than to take in the invaluable insights into the writing craft shared in this video. Among other things: a character should sing if and only when emotions run too deep for words alone.
youtube.com
The Art of Songwriting with Stephen Sondheim and Adam Guettel
Legendary theatrical composer Stephen Sondheim invites Adam Guettel into his studio to break down the art of songwriting for this episode of “Legacy Project,...
11:39 AM · Dec 3, 2021
 
Twitter
Two Boobs Watch the Tube
@TwoBoobsWatch
What is the meaning of true love? Schmigadoon! explores the answer through the absurd story tropes of American musicals. When emotions are so strong you can’t speak, you sing. When you can’t sing, you dance. And the blonde heiress is totally a Nazi: https://v2.famicomdojo.tv/s/toobs-5
7:25 PM · Dec 10, 2021
 
Twitter
Ellie 🌸 🌈✈️🌏
@elliekurusuki
According to the rules of musical theatre: when emotions cannot be expressed in words, you sing and when emotions cannot be expressed in a song, you dance
Which is why I love Once Upon a Dream so much and the way Aurora and Philip communicate their feelings through dance 💗
1:07 PM · May 12, 2022
   
Twitter
Kate Hastings
@rubyfoxfire
Replying to @thatsaltybobcat
This ship itself has drama. There’s an air of intrigue about it and it draws attention. It makes people wonder about how they’re going to arc.
When emotions are too strong for words, you sing. When emotions are too strong for song, you dance.
Darnit, it’s just interesting lol
11:21 AM · May 30, 2022
 
Twitter
Kate Hastings
@rubyfoxfire
Replying to @thatsaltybobcat
This ship itself has drama. There’s an air of intrigue about it and it draws attention. It makes people wonder about how they’re going to arc.
When emotions are too strong for words, you sing. When emotions are too strong for song, you dance.
Darnit, it’s just interesting lol
11:21 AM · May 30, 2022
     
Twitter
maya
@aglowingreview
“that’s how musicals work. when you’re too emotional to talk, you sing. when you’re too emotional to sing, you dance” where’s that clip of laura benanti saying basically this & then “if you can’t do either, you become a hollywood star and then win a tony award”
10:27 PM · Sep 10, 2022
 
ITM
The Seven BEST Disney Princess Songs Ever Made
Posted on November 20, 2022 by Averyl Fong
(...)
Howard Ashman and Alan Menken are pretty much the geniuses behind Ariel and her voice — with the late Ashman being insistent on the song transitioning naturally from speech into music, growing organically along the old musical theater adage: “when emotions are too much for words, sing; and when emotions are too much for music, dance.”