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* Sorry, Brian, but there really is a difference between a legit and non-legit tenor, even in musicals pre-1960.
Some suggestions for Legit Tenor:
"The street where you live" - sung by Freddie Eynsford-Hill in My Fair Lady (Lerner/Loewe)
"Come to me, bend to me" - sung by Charlie Dalrymple in Brigadoon (L/L); "There but for you go I" - sung by Tommy in the same show
"I talk to the trees" and "Another Autumn" - sung by Julio in Paint Your Wagon (L/L)
"Geraniums in the winder" - sung by Enoch Snow in Carousel (Rodgers/Hammerstein)
"The man I used to be" - sung by Doc in Pipe Dream (R/H)
"You've got to be carefully taught" - sung by Lt. Cable in South Pacific (R/H)
"The big black giant" - sung by Larry in Me and Juliet (R/H)
"You are never away" - sung by Joseph Taylor Jr. in Allegro (R/H)
"Like a god" - sung by Wang Ta in Flower Drum Song (R/H)
"Lonely House" - sung by Sam Kaplan in Street Scene (Weill)
"Lonely Town" - sung by Gabey in On the Town (Bernstein)
"Maria" - Sung by Tony in West Side Story (Bernstein)
"Where's the mate for me?/Make believe" - sung by Gaylord Ravenal in Show Boat (Kern)
"You don't know Paree" - sung by Peter in Fifty Million Frenchmen (Porter)
"Stranger in Paradise" - sung by Caliph in Kismet (Wright/Forrest/Borodin)
Some suggestions for "non-legit" tenor:
"The seven deadly virtues" - sung by Mordred in Camelot (Lerner/Loewe)
"Thinkin'" - sung by Mac in Pipe Dream (R/H)
"Big brother" - sung by Dromio of Ephesus in The Boys from Syracuse (Rodgers/Hart)
"How to succeed" - sung by J. Pierrepont Finch in How to Succeed in Business (Loesser)
"Once upon a time, today" - sung by Kenneth in Call Me Madam (Berlin)
"I feel my luck comin' down" and "Ridin' on the moon" - sung by in St. Louis Woman (Arlen)
Examples of "legit" musical theatre tenors:
Jack Cassidy - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sCtTwnOaD4
George Dvorsky - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3oo3GMJZek
Examples of "non-legit" musical theatre tenors:
Michael Ball - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJnjcX8skXk
John Barrowman - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ3L8SG6y_c
Victor Garber - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNE-h-K_jQA
And somewhere in between:
Brent Barrett - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_yZpQJpcsg
Howard McGillin - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J354MVLZEpY
Hugh Panaro - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCfh8hxUnZY
Some suggestions for Legit Tenor:
"The street where you live" - sung by Freddie Eynsford-Hill in My Fair Lady (Lerner/Loewe)
"Come to me, bend to me" - sung by Charlie Dalrymple in Brigadoon (L/L); "There but for you go I" - sung by Tommy in the same show
"I talk to the trees" and "Another Autumn" - sung by Julio in Paint Your Wagon (L/L)
"Geraniums in the winder" - sung by Enoch Snow in Carousel (Rodgers/Hammerstein)
"The man I used to be" - sung by Doc in Pipe Dream (R/H)
"You've got to be carefully taught" - sung by Lt. Cable in South Pacific (R/H)
"The big black giant" - sung by Larry in Me and Juliet (R/H)
"You are never away" - sung by Joseph Taylor Jr. in Allegro (R/H)
"Like a god" - sung by Wang Ta in Flower Drum Song (R/H)
"Lonely House" - sung by Sam Kaplan in Street Scene (Weill)
"Lonely Town" - sung by Gabey in On the Town (Bernstein)
"Maria" - Sung by Tony in West Side Story (Bernstein)
"Where's the mate for me?/Make believe" - sung by Gaylord Ravenal in Show Boat (Kern)
"You don't know Paree" - sung by Peter in Fifty Million Frenchmen (Porter)
"Stranger in Paradise" - sung by Caliph in Kismet (Wright/Forrest/Borodin)
Some suggestions for "non-legit" tenor:
"The seven deadly virtues" - sung by Mordred in Camelot (Lerner/Loewe)
"Thinkin'" - sung by Mac in Pipe Dream (R/H)
"Big brother" - sung by Dromio of Ephesus in The Boys from Syracuse (Rodgers/Hart)
"How to succeed" - sung by J. Pierrepont Finch in How to Succeed in Business (Loesser)
"Once upon a time, today" - sung by Kenneth in Call Me Madam (Berlin)
"I feel my luck comin' down" and "Ridin' on the moon" - sung by in St. Louis Woman (Arlen)
Examples of "legit" musical theatre tenors:
Jack Cassidy - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sCtTwnOaD4
George Dvorsky - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3oo3GMJZek
Examples of "non-legit" musical theatre tenors:
Michael Ball - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJnjcX8skXk
John Barrowman - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ3L8SG6y_c
Victor Garber - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNE-h-K_jQA
And somewhere in between:
Brent Barrett - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_yZpQJpcsg
Howard McGillin - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J354MVLZEpY
Hugh Panaro - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCfh8hxUnZY