Top 10 Neil Patrick Harris Musical Moments

For the past several decades, the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade has aired on television annually, delighting both children and – in 2013 - diehard fan Neil Patrick Harris. Singing a fun opening number at the parade to stall for time, Harris interacts with Disney characters, a group of Newsies, and confronts Darth Vader himself. This number ends in a spectacular fashion, with fireworks and the entire parade joining in on the dance number. Harris brings his love of musical theatre to a big audience at Disney, with the entire crowd cheering him on the whole way.

This short-lived show featured a number of moments where Neil Patrick Harris pranked people or went undercover on various shows, and this moment was probably the most memorable. Going undercover on “The Voice” as the new Austrian host of the show, Neil bumbled around the set, making things a little awkward between himself and some of the hosts. However, he revealed himself in classic NPH fashion by singing to the judges. It’s worth watching to see their reactions when they realize they’ve been had!

When you have Neil Patrick Harris playing a role, you’ll find any way possible to add some singing. While Count Olaf is a diabolical villain, set on ruining the lives of the Baudelaires, it’s hard not to love the Count when a man like NPH plays him. This hilarious song sets the stage for Count Olaf’s antics throughout this series, and also reminds viewers that this will be a more musical retelling of the story. Harris’ charisma oozes through in this song, even if it can be a bit dissonant at times, but that is, after all, the point.

In his time hosting the Tonys, Neil has done a lot of musical openers to match the theme of the evening. But even at an awards show for television, the man just can’t help himself. Halfway through the Primetime Emmy event, Harris suddenly burst into song, making the middle of the show a bit more entertaining. Joined by Sarah Silverman, former co-star Nathan Fillion, and a troupe of sexy dancers, Neil Patrick Harris does the audience a favor by wasting three minutes on an “arbitrary” number. But what an amazing, arbitrary number it was!

This Aerosmith cover is a fantastic duet between Neil Patrick Harris and Matthew Morrison, as they play old high school rivals. Bryan Ryan (yes, that’s the character’s name) and Will Schuester try to one-up each other in this incredible rock ballad, and NPH hits some impossibly high notes. Harris’ character is bitter and cynical, his life having not gone the way he wanted it, and he blames the Glee Club and the arts in general for giving people hopes and dreams that don’t match what life is really like. The performance by Morrison and Harris, their incredible vocals, and the context of this song within the episode, make this one of the more iconic covers in “Glee.”

The 65th Tony Awards had a lot of great performances from Neil Patrick Harris, including an incredible opening number that invited heterosexuals to enjoy musical theatre. The best part of the evening was when former Tony Awards host Hugh Jackman challenged NPH to a musical medley. These two stars battle it out with classic Broadway hits like “Anything You Can Do” and “You’re The Top,” in an attempt to out-dance and out-sing the other. In the end, both hosts celebrate each other’s greatness and the number ends with the two highlighting their many talents. Jackman and Harris are both incredible hosts that ooze charisma, and seeing them together on stage is a dream come true.

The story of one man’s rise to villainhood isn’t usually accompanied by so many great musical numbers, but when NPH is involved, would you expect anything else? When Billy’s love interest starts dating his arch-nemesis, Captain Hammer, played by the brilliant Nathan Fillion, we see his resolve grow stronger in this incredible and exciting number. Up until this point, Dr. Horrible is still too good of a person to kill anybody, even his nemesis; but this is the last straw, and seeing that unfold musically, along with excellent patter and an upbeat, intense score, was the highlight of this web-musical.

This fantastic performance from “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” was a hit at the Tonys, and a pure showcase of Harris’ talent for the stage. Playing the genderqueer rock singer Hedwig Robinson, NPH delivers sexiness, passion, power, and vulnerability all in just a few minutes on stage. The number is not only incredible musically, but is also quite funny to watch, as Neil marches through the audience and plays around with some celebrities, like Samuel L. Jackson. This may be one of Neil’s best performances, and it’s a shame we can no longer see him as Hedwig on Broadway.

What better way to celebrate the 100th episode of a show than with a rousing musical number about suits? Forced to choose between a hot bartender or his giant wardrobe of suits, Harris’ Barney Stinson suddenly breaks into song, proclaiming his love of suits to the world. Not only is this a unique musical number in a sitcom that had not used NPH’s musical talents to a great extent until that point, but also it is a legitimately fantastic song that was nominated for an Emmy. A legendary song from a legendary character.



Before we reveal our top pick, here are some honorable mentions:



“Put Down the Remote”

“61st Primetime Emmy Awards” (2009)


“Smooth Criminal”

“Lip Sync Battle Live: A Michael Jackson Celebration” (2018)



“Broadway Riff-Off” with Neil Patrick Harris

“The Late Late Show with James Corden” (2017)

This opening number had the audience on their feet, wanting more. The incredible choreography, the spectacle, the clever lyrics written by “Hamilton’”s Lin-Manuel Miranda, and of course the performance of Neil Patrick Harris all make this number so entertaining that it won an Emmy! The previous year’s opening with NPH was great as well, asking what it would be like if life were more like theatre , but clearly Harris decided to up the ante the following year and make it even “bigger” than it was before. All of Harris’ charm, singing and dancing, as well as his talent for magic tricks, are combined to make this one opening that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
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