The Act One curtain solo from 110 in the Shade is as good a dramatic soprano show-aria as you're going to get. It is called "Old Maid". This song lets you go everywhere from anger to despair to sexual frustration and then to a major ending.
Listen to Inga Swenson sing it on the 1963 recording. The more recent recording with Audra McDonald is not done nearly so large and if you listen to that one you won't know what I'm talking about.
For laughs, take a listen to the 1962 recording of Forum with Zero Mostel, particularly "That Dirty Old Man" sung by Ruth Kobart. Again, this works better for a dramatic soprano.
In both cases you may want to consider taking your own accompanist. You may want to add your own ornamentation to either song and and play with the tempos too.
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable."
--Carrie Fisher
Updated On: 3/31/09 at 11:43 AM