Pirates of Penzance

Any coloratura soprano song will do- the music is quite versatile.

Glitter and Be Gay (Candide)
Vilia (Merry Widow)
Adele's Laughing SOng (Die Fledermaus)
Anything from "La Fille du Regiment"
Any other Gilbert and Sullivan soprano aria.
As When The Dove (Acis and Galatea)

My D is now getting leads in our local G&S group (which is 30 years old) and she said to look at any of the G&S solos for sopranos; "The Sun Who's Rays" from "Mikado" is a best to sing, but if you can pull it off well, you should have a good shot at the role. Watch the dynamics on that piece, that's where girls go wrong, as your voice has to be under real control at all times(the song ends on a quiet note so it might help if you can go to the library and grab a couple of CD's or DVD's of G&S shows.

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"The Sun Whose Rays" is an excellent idea. I definitely agree. (The same girl who played Yum-Yum in our opera company had played Mabel the year before.)

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I just auditioned for Pirates too!! I'm hoping for Ruth or Edith or Kate or Isabelle. I love Mabel, but there's no way on earth that I could sing her part and not be laughed out of the theatre forever. Good luck!

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Fabala 4077 ,I think you are wise to aim a bit lower and go for Ruth or Edith the first time out. G&S is not as easy as you think girls, and I am not being patronizing in saying this, it's just a simple fact that even the women's choruses in G&S shows sing more than most solo roles in the usual musicals schools produce and the timing and diction must be impeccable or most of the show is lost on the audience. I wish you all the best of luck and the good fortune to work under a terrific director who has actually played in a goodly number of G&S pieces herself/himself, because that knoweldge is so valuable. Many libraries have copies (usually VHS) of the G&S standards and they are good to watch to get an idea of how the overall production in supposed to look. As young singers, you are fine singing as lyrics and don't need to blast out in full coloratura ("Glitter and Be Gay", can push a young voice way too hard and I would not advise attempting it without careful coaching; remember, Kristin Chenoweth may appear young and cute, but she is 40 and most HS students are not coloraturas as your voices have not developed that much yet-that's not to say you won't be in the future, but is it worth developing polyps or nodes at 16?). What part YOU get is also going to depend very heavily on who the guys are that get cast, their physical type as well as their voice.My D is not quite 16, and is 5'6". but add on her character shoes and she can tower over the tenor!
There are a lot of roles in these shows and many opportunities for solos and even to double-cast and use several "swings" to learn two parts. Above all, with G&S, HAVE FUN, as they are a ball to do and provide great chances for tech crews to shine with props, lighting and costumes too.If you find that you really enjoy them, talk to your directors about doing some of the more obscure pieces, such as "The Sorcerer", which feature more young roles in them.
Please, since there are several of you trying this, post your audition choices and your experiences! Good luck to all of you!

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Congratulations-albeit a little late!!

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