To Those Performers Out There: Whats In Your Repotoire When You Audition?

[Megan Marie]

Posted: 1/29/04 at 1:21pm

This includes monolgues and musical numbers you use when you audition for theatre. Include your voice range (alto, soprano, etc) I would love to hear from everyone!

[MusicMan]

Posted: 1/29/04 at 4:57pm

Pardon me while I put in a plug.
I am a vocal coach in NYC who specializes in audition material and performance presentation. If there are any performers here who are...
...uncertain of what to sing at auditions
...having difficulty finding good audition songs
...lacking confidence in your approach to material
...choosing inappropriate repertoire for your type,

please don't hesitate to contact me about your coaching needs.

Thanks for the opportunity. Now back to the thread. Updated On: 1/29/04 at 04:57 PM

[BroadwayBaby3]

Posted: 1/29/04 at 5:31pm

right now my favorite audition song is "forget about the boy" from thoroughly modern millie. i'm a belter so i love all of millie's songs. i can't wait until the wicked sheet music comes out because there are several songs from that that i'd love to sing.

[jesseeinstein]

Posted: 1/29/04 at 5:32pm

Hasn't there already been a thread on this? I'll play anyways
This is Not Over Yet-Parade

Posted: 1/30/04 at 12:16am

I am a classically trained tenor, but after spending several years singing opera, I finally came back to my first love - musical theatre.

I have several songs I like to use.
They are, in no particular order:

Anyone Can Whistle (Anyone Can Whistle)
Gethsemane (JC Superstar)
Bring Him Home (Les Mis)
On Margin (Walking With Grace) - New Musical

and one of my all time favorites - the 1932 classic,
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (New Americana)

[MusicMan]

Posted: 1/30/04 at 12:58am

IMHO, I'd avoid Gethsamane, Bri69, unless you're auditioning for the role, and Bring Him Home, which is by now a cliche.

[CANINO]

Posted: 1/30/04 at 1:18am

Music Man, I've heard that you are a wonderful vocal coach and I desperately need to learn how to sing above middle T - (kidding)...In all seriousness, who are you and what do you offer to people in search of a vocal mentor/coach?.......I would love to know more about you and what you offer as a teacher/coach............THANKS!

[newyorkuniq]

Posted: 1/30/04 at 1:28am

I usually just like to wing it....j/k
I thought there was just a post on this too. I know i'm not going crazy.

Posted: 1/31/04 at 12:58am

Bring Him Home isn't a cliche when I sing it.

[brdwaybaby17]

Posted: 1/31/04 at 7:18pm

I usually sing Matchmaker from Fiddler, On My Own, or Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile, depending on the subject matter of the show and such.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 1/31/04 at 8:04pm

Bri69, Bring Him Home is a cliche no matter who sings it.

[Musetta1957]

Posted: 1/31/04 at 11:25pm

"Bring Him Home isn't a cliche when I sing it."

Why, hello, Mr. Wilkinson! So nice to meet you!

[MyNameInLights]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 1:09am

I think it really depends on the show... MusicMan, I really need your help! PM me PUHLEEZE!

Posted: 2/1/04 at 12:35pm

I was really trying to be humorous - didn't mean to offend anyone. However, I do believe that Bring Him Home is a gorgeous song and the right singer makes all the difference - as another member posted, referring to "Mr. Wilkinson." Just as "Music of the Night" is considered by many to be an old cliche until Michael Crawford steps on stage to sing it.

There are many old songs (and some not so old ones) that are considered "tired" and "cliched" until you hear a great performer singing them. Any song will become old and boring very quickly if it's sung by a crappy singer.

MusicMan, you are a vocal coach, so you probably hear more than your fair share of "Bring Him Home" interpretations, but I can guarantee you, being a performer myself, people still go bonkers when they hear that song.

Updated On: 2/1/04 at 12:35 PM

[Annie Get Your Rose]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 2:09pm

MusicMan- What songs are good to sing for 16 year old males? I usually sing Make them Here You from Ragtime and So in Love and Were thine thy special Face both from Kiss Me Kate. Are these okay? What do you suggest

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 2:32pm

Honestly, as one who has done his share of casting, I couldn't possibly care less what the actual song people are singing for me is. Someone picking a cool song is worth about one tenth of a second of novelty before I just worry about whether or not they can do anything with it. I know a lot performers who think WAY too hard about what they're auditioning with instead of worrying about the actual audition.

Just my nickel of thoughs.

[BillyLawlor]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 2:37pm

I am 100% tenor, and can go a lot higher then the other boys, as my voice has not yet changed. I can't go very low- to a G I believe. I can belt a D on days when my voice is generous.

I usually sing "There is Nothing Like a Dame"- gets them every time.

After hearing renditions of "My Funny Valentine" and "Lost in the Wildnerness", I am looking into making those songs part of my repertoire.

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 5:52pm

"Unusual Way" with a differently arranged ending, "The Sun Whose Rays are All Ablaze," "Aldonza," and "Adelaide's Lament." I'm a soprano who can belt

[TheBalladeer]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 7:09pm

Bri and JohnPapa, I agree with you wholeheartedly.

If "Bring Him Home" works for you, then that is great. A different interpretation of a song, really does make all the difference. IF you can find some way to really make the song your own. I use "Being Alive" which is a very popular song, and I do well with it, and have gotten cast with it. It is all about what you do with the song. And as someone who auditions a great deal, I really don't hear "Bring Him Home" done that often. Although I have the song in my book, I don't feel at this point, that my interpretation is as well-concieved as I would like it to be. So I don't use it.

But then again, as my vocal coach tells me, and as someone who actually sits behind the table on occasion, your commitment, your acting ability, and your vocal talent are all that matters at the audition.

I will say that if you ARE going to an open/cattle call, I would advise against something that is very popular in which you cannot quickly get rid of whatever preconceptions a casting director might have about a given song, and do something that is not as popular. Because that will ultimately hurt you, or so I believe.

Cheers,
The Balladeer

Updated On: 2/1/04 at 07:09 PM

[MusicMan]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 7:23pm

The audition song is an actor's calling card and one of the few measures of control one has in what is an imperfect, uncontrollable system. Hence, it's advisable to give the matter some judicious thought.
First off, since musical theater is a genre that demands vocal AND acting ability, the material needs to be active and actable, giving the actor something to play and demonstrating actor "chops."
Next, not only should the songs give an idea of what the performer's vocal abilities are, they should accurately reflect his/her physical type (choosing inappropriate material sends out mixed messages and suggests the actor does not have a handle on the image he/she projects). For example, if you're a character actor, you do yourself a disservice singing leading man material (unless with specific intent).
Careful selection of audition material or tailoring the songs to specific auditions or roles, when possible, gives evidence that the performer is a hard-working, thinking actor, someone with "actor smarts." Bringing in overused or unconsidered or baggage-laden (Don't Rain on My Parade, for example) material, no matter how well sung, only demonstrates an unimaginative and lazy approach to acting and the audition process. If you can "teach an old dog new tricks," great. But given the incredible wealth of material out there, why rely on the cliche? THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.
Finally, the actor should choose material with which he/she can identify and personalize. The audition process may concern itself with the actor as a "commodity" but the commodity on display is, after all, the actor's SELF, the sum of his/her life experience and being. The audition experience is an opportunity for the singing actor to express the TRUTH (a much-abused word) about him or herself. And, ultimately, isn't THAT the reason why we're in this business?
Updated On: 2/1/04 at 07:23 PM

[MusicMan]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 7:29pm

Just curious, Balladeer: what portion of Being Alive do you sing?

[StateOfJade]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 8:20pm

I'm not a performer, but I think that this song WOULD make a good audition piece...

'You Were There For Me' from 'Stages'

[TheBalladeer]

Posted: 2/2/04 at 9:33am

Well, it depends. If the auditioners allow me time to sing a whole song, of if I have an audition by appointment, I usually start from the second half of the song, "Somebody need me too much....etc...on to the end.) If not, I tend to start from "Somebody crowd me with love"....until the end.


Cheers,
The Balladeer

[MusicMan]

Posted: 2/2/04 at 4:37pm

The emotional arc of Being Alive is designed to evolve from an indictment of intimacy and commitment to a heart-rending plea for the very same. By singing the number from "SomeBODY hold me too close," the actor deprives himself of half of the song's function, purpose and activity because it tells only half the story (t's like doing a monologue without the setup---why shortchange yourself??). Correspondingly, the number is too long and repetitious to do in its entirety. It's specifically for these reasons that Being Alive is not optimum audition material (unless your auditors want to hear a bit of legit after you've done your uptempo/ballad). There are so many, MANY more songs in the canon that not only allow the singer to demonstrate his vocal prowess but let him take a full and completely active journey, tell a complete and rounded story, sometimes even in as little as 16 bars. Updated On: 2/2/04 at 04:37 PM

[TheBalladeer]

Posted: 2/2/04 at 4:54pm

When I perform it, I create my own scenario to perform it in. I usually don't go by whatever context any particular song is used in any given show. That is a trap that might hinder an audition, in my opinion. I try to take a song and lyrics, and reinvent it in a manner that is beneficial to my individual interpretation. Therefore, I don't have a problem with my cut from "Being Alive".



Cheers,
The Balladeer